Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density

Abstract

Therapeutic interventions that incorporate training in mindfulness meditation have become increasingly popular, but to date little is known about neural mechanisms associated with these interventions. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), one of the most widely used mindfulness training programs, has been reported to produce positive effects on psychological well-being and to ameliorate symptoms of a number of disorders. Here, we report a controlled longitudinal study to investigate pre-post changes in brain gray matter concentration attributable to participation in an MBSR program. Anatomical magnetic resonance (MR) images from 16 healthy, meditation-naïve participants were obtained before and after they underwent the 8-week program. Changes in gray matter concentration were investigated using voxel-based morphometry, and compared with a waiting list control group of 17 individuals. Analyses in a priori regions of interest confirmed increases in gray matter concentration within the left hippocampus. Whole brain analyses identified increases in the posterior cingulate cortex, the temporo-parietal junction, and the cerebellum in the MBSR group compared with the controls. The results suggest that participation in MBSR is associated with changes in gray matter concentration in brain regions involved in learning and memory processes, emotion regulation, self-referential processing, and perspective taking.

Figure 1

Region of interest analysis identifies gray matter concentration increases in the left hippocampus (MNI coordinates x = −36 (1A), y = −34 (1B), z = −8 (1C)) in the MBSR group. Voxels (thresholded at P = 0.01 and masked for the regions of interest) are overlaid over the group-averaged brain. 1D: Change in gray matter concentration (GMC) within the cluster in the left hippocampus from the Pre to the Post time-point in the MBSR and the control group; error bars show 95% confidence interval.

Figure 1

Region of interest analysis identifies gray matter concentration increases in the left hippocampus (MNI coordinates x = −36 (1A), y = −34 (1B), z = −8 (1C)) in the MBSR group. Voxels (thresholded at P = 0.01 and masked for the regions of interest) are overlaid over the group-averaged brain. 1D: Change in gray matter concentration (GMC) within the cluster in the left hippocampus from the Pre to the Post time-point in the MBSR and the control group; error bars show 95% confidence interval.

Figure 2

Increase in gray matter concentration in the MBSR group from Pre- to Post-intervention in the exploratory whole brain analysis. A: cluster in the posterior cingulate cortex and cerebellum (sagittal slice at x = −2); B: cluster in the left temporo-parietal junction (peak in the middle temporal gyrus; sagittal slice at x = −52); C: clusters in the cerebellum and brainstem (axial slice at z = −28). Significant clusters within the whole brain (clusters with P < .05, corrected for multiple comparisons across the entire brain, initial voxel-level threshold of P = 0.01) are overlaid over the group averaged normalized structural MPRAGE image.

Figure 3

Change in gray matter concentration (GMC) within the clusters in the posterior cingulate cortex (3A), the temporo-parietal junction (3B), the lateral cerebellum (3C) and the cerebellar vermis/brainstem (3D) in the MBSR and control group. Error bars show 95% confidence interval.

Figure 3

Change in gray matter concentration (GMC) within the clusters in the posterior cingulate cortex (3A), the temporo-parietal junction (3B), the lateral cerebellum (3C) and the cerebellar vermis/brainstem (3D) in the MBSR and control group. Error bars show 95% confidence interval.

Figure 3

Change in gray matter concentration (GMC) within the clusters in the posterior cingulate cortex (3A), the temporo-parietal junction (3B), the lateral cerebellum (3C) and the cerebellar vermis/brainstem (3D) in the MBSR and control group. Error bars show 95% confidence interval.

Figure 3

Change in gray matter concentration (GMC) within the clusters in the posterior cingulate cortex (3A), the temporo-parietal junction (3B), the lateral cerebellum (3C) and the cerebellar vermis/brainstem (3D) in the MBSR and control group. Error bars show 95% confidence interval.