The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging

Abstract

ObjectivesMeditation has been shown to have physical, cognitive, and psychological health benefits that can be used to promote healthy aging. However, the common and specific mechanisms of response remain elusive due to the diverse nature of mind–body practices.MethodsIn this review, we aim to compare the neural circuits implicated in focused-attention meditative practices that focus on present-moment awareness to those involved in active-type meditative practices (e.g., yoga) that combine movement, including chanting, with breath practices and meditation.Recent FindingsRecent meta-analyses and individual studies demonstrated common brain effects for attention-based meditative practices and active-based meditations in areas involved in reward processing and learning, attention and memory, awareness and sensory integration, and self-referential processing and emotional control, while deactivation was seen in the amygdala, an area implicated in emotion processing. Unique effects for mindfulness practices were found in brain regions involved in body awareness, attention, and the integration of emotion and sensory processing. Effects specific to active-based meditations appeared in brain areas involved in self-control, social cognition, language, speech, tactile stimulation, sensorimotor integration, and motor function.SummaryThis review suggests that mind–body practices can target different brain systems that are involved in the regulation of attention, emotional control, mood, and executive cognition that can be used to treat or prevent mood and cognitive disorders of aging, such as depression and caregiver stress, or serve as “brain fitness” exercise. Benefits may include improving brain functional connectivity in brain systems that generally degenerate with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other aging-related diseases.

Effects of Mind‐Body Exercises on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Meta‐Analysis

“…Moreover, subgroup analysis according to varied types of mind‐body exercises demonstrated that only the tai chi group and the dance group had positive effects on cognitive flexibility, and other domains of executive cognition were less conclusive, suggesting that tai chi and dance mind‐body exercise were more sensitive in improving cognitive flexibility. These subgroup results were consistent with previous studies exploring dance or tai chi for their effects on executive functions in older adults …”

“…These subgroup results were consistent with previous studies exploring dance or tai chi for their effects on executive functions in older adults. 48,49 Language, learning, and memory are also essential factors for assessing cognitive performance. Our results suggested that mind-body exercises were beneficial for increasing the fluency of verbal language and promoting learning ability, especially tai chi, and dance exercise had an advantage in these terms.…”

Sensory Processing Sensitivity in the Context of Environmental Sensitivity: A Critical Review and Development of Research Agenda

“…Mindfulness-based interventions are increasingly shown to be effective in the reduction of stress, anxiety and depression relapse prevention (Khoury et al, 2013;Kuyken et al, 2016). Based on neuroimaging data showing greater responsivity to affective stimuli as a function of SPS in areas implicated in emotion (i.e., the amygdala), mindfulness-based trainings, and in fact different meditation types linked to deactivation of the amygdala (Acevedo, Pospos, & Lavretsky, 2016), may be useful for the enhancement of self-control and diminished emotional reactivity in high SPS individuals (Acevedo et al, 2017).…”

Epigenetic clock analysis in long-term meditators

“…Meditation-based stress reduction interventions have increasingly become a focus of scientific interest to promote healthy aging. Recent research suggests that meditation has beneficial effects in stress and age-related neuroplastic changes, and mood and cognitive disorders (Davidson and McEwen, 2012; Acevedo et al, 2016; Luders, 2014). Molecular mechanisms involved in the aging process, such as inflammation, immune and epigenetic pathways (Black and Slavich, 2016; Kaliman et al, 2014), as well as telomere maintenance (Epel et al, 2009; Alda et al, 2016), are also sensitive to contemplative practices.…”