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Chaudhary IS, Shyi GCW, Huang STT. A systematic review and activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis of fMRI studies on arousing or wake-promoting effects in Buddhist meditation. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1136983. [PMID: 38022985 PMCID: PMC10646186 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1136983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional Buddhist texts illustrate meditation as a condition of relaxed alertness that must fend against extreme hypoarousal (sleep, drowsiness) and extreme hyperarousal (restlessness). Theoretical, neurophysiological, and neuroimaging investigations of meditation have highlighted the relaxing effects and hypoarousing without emphasizing the alertness-promoting effects. Here we performed a systematic review supported by an activation-likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis in an effort to counterbalance the surfeit of scholarship emphasizing the hypoarousing and relaxing effects of different forms of Buddhist meditation. Specifically, the current systematic review-cum-meta-analytical review seeks to highlight more support for meditation's wake-promoting effects by drawing from neuroimaging research during wakefulness and meditation. In this systematic review and meta-analysis of 22 fMRI studies, we aim to highlight support for Buddhist meditation's wake-promoting or arousing effects by identifying brain regions associated with alertness during meditation. The most significant peaks were localized medial frontal gyrus (MFG) and precuneus. We failed to determine areas ostensibly common to alertness-related meditation such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), superior parietal lobule, basal ganglia, thalamus, most likely due to the relatively fewer fMRI investigations that used wakefulness-promoting meditation techniques. Also, we argue that forthcoming research on meditation, related to alertness or wakefulness, continues to adopt a multi-modal method to investigate the correlation between actual behaviors and neural networks connected to Buddhist meditation. Moreover, we recommend the implementation of fMRI paradigms on Buddhist meditation with clinically diagnosed participants to complement recent trends in psychotherapy such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Inder S. Chaudhary
- PhD Program in Cognitive Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
- Center for Research in Cognitive Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
- Department of Psychology, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
| | - Gary Chon-Wen Shyi
- PhD Program in Cognitive Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
- Center for Research in Cognitive Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
- Department of Psychology, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Tseng Tina Huang
- PhD Program in Cognitive Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
- Center for Research in Cognitive Sciences, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
- Department of Psychology, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi City, Taiwan
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Inner tradition made visible: the interpersonal benefits and effects of meditation practice on close relationships. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-00738-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Reddy JSK, Pereira A, de Souza Leite E, Roy S. Meditative introspection promotes the First-person's science of consciousness via intuitive pathways: A hypothesis based on traditional Buddhist and contemporary Monist frameworks. NEW IDEAS IN PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.newideapsych.2019.100774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Jensen CG, Lansner J, Petersen A, Vangkilde SA, Ringkøbing SP, Frokjaer VG, Adamsen D, Knudsen GM, Denninger JW, Hasselbalch SG. Open and Calm--a randomized controlled trial evaluating a public stress reduction program in Denmark. BMC Public Health 2015; 15:1245. [PMID: 26673225 PMCID: PMC4682248 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-015-2588-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2015] [Accepted: 12/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prolonged psychological stress is a risk factor for illness and constitutes an increasing public health challenge creating a need to develop public interventions specifically targeting stress and promoting mental health. The present randomized controlled trial evaluated health effects of a novel program: Relaxation-Response-based Mental Health Promotion (RR-MHP). Methods The multimodal, meditation-based course was publicly entitled “Open and Calm” (OC) because it consistently trained relaxed and receptive (“Open”) attention, and consciously non-intervening (“Calm”) witnessing, in two standardized formats (individual or group) over nine weeks. Seventy-two participants who complained to their general practitioner about reduced daily functioning due to prolonged stress or who responded to an online health survey on stress were randomly assigned to OC formats or treatment as usual, involving e.g., unstandardized consultations with their general practitioner. Outcomes included perceived stress, depressive symptoms, quality of life, sleep disturbances, mental health, salivary cortisol, and visual perception. Control variables comprised a genetic stress-resiliency factor (serotonergic transporter genotype; 5-HTTLPR), demographics, personality, self-reported inattentiveness, and course format. Results Intent-to-treat analyses showed significantly larger improvements in OC than in controls on all outcomes. Treatment effects on self-reported outcomes were sustained after 3 months and were not related to age, gender, education, or course format. The dropout rate was only 6 %. Conclusions The standardized OC program reduced stress and improved mental health for a period of 3 months. Further testing of the OC program for public mental health promotion and reduction of stress-related illnesses is therefore warranted. A larger implementation is in progress. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov.: NCT02140307. Registered May 14 2014. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-2588-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian G Jensen
- Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), The Neuroscience Centre, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 28, 3rd floor, 2100, Copenhagen OE, Denmark.
| | - Jon Lansner
- Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), The Neuroscience Centre, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 28, 3rd floor, 2100, Copenhagen OE, Denmark.
| | - Anders Petersen
- Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| | - Signe A Vangkilde
- Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 2A, 1353, Copenhagen K, Denmark.
| | - Signe P Ringkøbing
- Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), The Neuroscience Centre, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 28, 3rd floor, 2100, Copenhagen OE, Denmark.
| | - Vibe G Frokjaer
- Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), The Neuroscience Centre, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 28, 3rd floor, 2100, Copenhagen OE, Denmark.
| | - Dea Adamsen
- Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), The Neuroscience Centre, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 28, 3rd floor, 2100, Copenhagen OE, Denmark.
| | - Gitte M Knudsen
- Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), The Neuroscience Centre, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 28, 3rd floor, 2100, Copenhagen OE, Denmark.
| | - John W Denninger
- Benson-Henry Institute of Mind-Body Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA.
| | - Steen G Hasselbalch
- Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU) and Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), The Neuroscience Centre, Rigshospitalet and University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 28, 3rd floor, 2100, Copenhagen OE, Denmark. .,Danish Dementia Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Buttle H. Measuring a Journey without Goal: Meditation, Spirituality, and Physiology. BIOMED RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 2015:891671. [PMID: 26137495 PMCID: PMC4475556 DOI: 10.1155/2015/891671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2014] [Revised: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The secular practice of meditation is associated with a range of physiological and cognitive effects, including lower blood pressure, lower cortisol, cortical thickening, and activation of areas of the brain associated with attention and emotion regulation. However, in the context of spiritual practice, these benefits are secondary gains, as the primary aim is spiritual transformation. Despite obvious difficulties in trying to measure a journey without goal, spiritual aspects involved in the practice of meditation should also be addressed by experimental study. This review starts by considering meditation in the form of the relaxation response (a counterpart to the stress response), before contrasting mindfulness research that emphasizes the role of attention and alertness in meditation. This contrast demonstrates how reference to traditional spiritual texts (in this case Buddhist) can be used to guide research questions involving meditation. Further considerations are detailed, along with the proposal that research should triangulate spiritual textual sources, first person accounts (i.e., neurophenomenology), and physiological/cognitive measures in order to aid our understanding of meditation, not only in the secular context of health benefits, but also in the context of spiritual practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather Buttle
- School of Psychology, Massey University, Private Bag 102904, North Shore Mail Centre, Auckland 0745, New Zealand
- Mind and Life Institute, Amherst College, 271 South Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA 01002, USA
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Britton WB, Lindahl JR, Cahn BR, Davis JH, Goldman RE. Awakening is not a metaphor: the effects of Buddhist meditation practices on basic wakefulness. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2014; 1307:64-81. [PMID: 24372471 PMCID: PMC4054695 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.12279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Buddhist meditation practices have become a topic of widespread interest in both science and medicine. Traditional Buddhist formulations describe meditation as a state of relaxed alertness that must guard against both excessive hyperarousal (restlessness) and excessive hypoarousal (drowsiness, sleep). Modern applications of meditation have emphasized the hypoarousing and relaxing effects without as much emphasis on the arousing or alertness-promoting effects. In an attempt to counterbalance the plethora of data demonstrating the relaxing and hypoarousing effects of Buddhist meditation, this interdisciplinary review aims to provide evidence of meditation's arousing or wake-promoting effects by drawing both from Buddhist textual sources and from scientific studies, including subjective, behavioral, and neuroimaging studies during wakefulness, meditation, and sleep. Factors that may influence whether meditation increases or decreases arousal are discussed, with particular emphasis on dose, expertise, and contemplative trajectory. The course of meditative progress suggests a nonlinear multiphasic trajectory, such that early phases that are more effortful may produce more fatigue and sleep propensity, while later stages produce greater wakefulness as a result of neuroplastic changes and more efficient processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Willoughby B. Britton
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
| | - Jared R. Lindahl
- Department of Religious Studies, Warren Wilson College, Asheville, North Carolina
| | - B. Rael Cahn
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, California
| | - Jake H. Davis
- Departments of Philosophy and Cognitive Science, City University of New York Graduate Center, New York, New York
| | - Roberta E. Goldman
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
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van Vugt MK, Hitchcock P, Shahar B, Britton W. The effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on affective memory recall dynamics in depression: a mechanistic model of rumination. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:257. [PMID: 23049507 PMCID: PMC3446543 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2011] [Accepted: 08/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES converging research suggests that mindfulness training exerts its therapeutic effects on depression by reducing rumination. Theoretically, rumination is a multifaceted construct that aggregates multiple neurocognitive aspects of depression, including poor executive control, negative and overgeneral memory bias, and persistence or stickiness of negative mind states. Current measures of rumination, most-often self-reports, do not capture these different aspects of ruminative tendencies, and therefore are limited in providing detailed information about the mechanisms of mindfulness. METHODS we developed new insight into the potential mechanisms of rumination, based on three model-based metrics of free recall dynamics. These three measures reflect the patterns of memory retrieval of valenced information: the probability of first recall (Pstart) which represents initial affective bias, the probability of staying with the same valence category rather than switching, which indicates strength of positive or negative association networks (Pstay), and probability of stopping (Pstop) or ending recall within a given valence, which indicates persistence or stickiness of a mind state. We investigated the effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT; N = 29) vs. wait-list control (N = 23) on these recall dynamics in a randomized controlled trial in individuals with recurrent depression. Participants completed a standard laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test, to induce negative mood and activate ruminative tendencies. Following that, participants completed a free recall task consisting of three word lists. This assessment was conducted both before and after treatment or wait-list. RESULTS while MBCT participant's Pstart remained relatively stable, controls showed multiple indications of depression-related deterioration toward more negative and less positive bias. Following the intervention, MBCT participants decreased in their tendency to sustain trains of negative words and increased their tendency to sustain trains of positive words. Conversely, controls showed the opposite tendency: controls stayed in trains of negative words for longer, and stayed in trains of positive words for less time relative to pre-intervention scores. MBCT participants tended to stop recall less often with negative words, which indicates less persistence or stickiness of negatively valenced mental context. CONCLUSION MBCT participants showed a decrease in patterns that may perpetuate rumination on all three types of recall dynamics (Pstart, Pstay, and Pstop), compared to controls. MBCT may weaken the strength of self-perpetuating negative associations networks that are responsible for the persistent and "sticky" negative mind states observed in depression, and increase the positive associations that are lacking in depression. This study also offers a novel, objective method of measuring several indices of ruminative tendencies indicative of the underlying mechanisms of rumination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke Karlijn van Vugt
- Cognitive Modeling Group, Department of Artificial Intelligence, University of GroningenGroningen, Netherlands
| | - Peter Hitchcock
- Brown University Contemplative Studies Initiative, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI, USA
| | - Ben Shahar
- School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center HerzliyaHerzliya, Israel
| | - Willoughby Britton
- Brown University Contemplative Studies Initiative, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Medical School, Brown UniversityProvidence, RI, USA
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Roberts-Wolfe D, Sacchet MD, Hastings E, Roth H, Britton W. Mindfulness training alters emotional memory recall compared to active controls: support for an emotional information processing model of mindfulness. Front Hum Neurosci 2012; 6:15. [PMID: 22347856 PMCID: PMC3277910 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2011] [Accepted: 01/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: While mindfulness-based interventions have received widespread application in both clinical and non-clinical populations, the mechanism by which mindfulness meditation improves well-being remains elusive. One possibility is that mindfulness training alters the processing of emotional information, similar to prevailing cognitive models of depression and anxiety. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of mindfulness training on emotional information processing (i.e., memory) biases in relation to both clinical symptomatology and well-being in comparison to active control conditions. Methods: Fifty-eight university students (28 female, age = 20.1 ± 2.7 years) participated in either a 12-week course containing a “meditation laboratory” or an active control course with similar content or experiential practice laboratory format (music). Participants completed an emotional word recall task and self-report questionnaires of well-being and clinical symptoms before and after the 12-week course. Results: Meditators showed greater increases in positive word recall compared to controls [F(1, 56) = 6.6, p = 0.02]. The meditation group increased significantly more on measures of well-being [F(1, 56) = 6.6, p = 0.01], with a marginal decrease in depression and anxiety [F(1, 56) = 3.0, p = 0.09] compared to controls. Increased positive word recall was associated with increased psychological well-being (r = 0.31, p = 0.02) and decreased clinical symptoms (r = −0.29, p = 0.03). Conclusion: Mindfulness training was associated with greater improvements in processing efficiency for positively valenced stimuli than active control conditions. This change in emotional information processing was associated with improvements in psychological well-being and less depression and anxiety. These data suggest that mindfulness training may improve well-being via changes in emotional information processing. Future research with a fully randomized design will be needed to clarify the possible influence of self-selection.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES Treatments of female sexual dysfunction have been largely unsuccessful because they do not address the psychological factors that underlie female sexuality. Negative self-evaluative processes interfere with the ability to attend and register physiological changes (interoceptive awareness). This study explores the effect of mindfulness meditation training on interoceptive awareness and the three categories of known barriers to healthy sexual functioning: attention, self-judgment, and clinical symptoms. METHODS Forty-four college students (30 women) participated in either a 12-week course containing a "meditation laboratory" or an active control course with similar content or laboratory format. Interoceptive awareness was measured by reaction time in rating physiological response to sexual stimuli. Psychological barriers were assessed with self-reported measures of mindfulness and psychological well-being. RESULTS Women who participated in the meditation training became significantly faster at registering their physiological responses (interoceptive awareness) to sexual stimuli compared with active controls (F(1,28) = 5.45, p = .03, η(p)(2) = 0.15). Female meditators also improved their scores on attention (t = 4.42, df = 11, p = .001), self-judgment, (t = 3.1, df = 11, p = .01), and symptoms of anxiety (t = -3.17, df = 11, p = .009) and depression (t = -2.13, df = 11, p < .05). Improvements in interoceptive awareness were correlated with improvements in the psychological barriers to healthy sexual functioning (r = -0.44 for attention, r = -0.42 for self-judgment, and r = 0.49 for anxiety; all p < .05). CONCLUSIONS Mindfulness-based improvements in interoceptive awareness highlight the potential of mindfulness training as a treatment of female sexual dysfunction.
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