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Review
. 2022 Sep 19;12(9):1141-1149.
doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i9.1141.

Underlying mechanisms of mindfulness meditation: Genomics, circuits, and networks

Ying-Qi Gu  1 , Yi Zhu  2   3
Affiliations
Review

Underlying mechanisms of mindfulness meditation: Genomics, circuits, and networks

Ying-Qi Gu et al. World J Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Understanding neuropsychological mechanisms of mindfulness meditation (MM) has been a hot topic in recent years. This review was conducted with the goal of synthesizing empirical relationships via the genomics, circuits and networks between MM and mental disorders. We describe progress made in assessing the effects of MM on gene expression in immune cells, with particular focus on stress-related inflammatory markers and associated biological pathways. We then focus on key brain circuits associated with mindfulness practices and effects on symptoms of mental disorders, and expand our discussion to identify three key brain networks associated with mindfulness practices including default mode network, central executive network, and salience network. More research efforts need to be devoted into identifying underlying neuropsychological mechanisms of MM on how it alleviates the symptoms of mental disorders.

Keywords: Gene expression; Mindfulness meditation; Neural circuits; Neural networks.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Circuits associated with mindfulness meditation. A: Feelings of fear circuit related to mindfulness meditation; B: Re-experiencing circuit related to mindfulness meditation; C: Worry/obsessions circuit related to mindfulness meditation. DLPFC: Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; ACC: Anterior cingulate cortex; OFC: Orbitofrontal cortex.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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