ITS McGreevey - Massachusetts General Hospital
Participate in a program of mindfulness meditation for eight weeks seems to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, perception self, empathy and stress. In a study published in the Jan. 30 issue of the Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, a team led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reports the results of the research, before certifying the changes over time of meditation on gray matter of brain.
"Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of tranquility and physical relaxation, practitioners have long argued that meditation can also produce cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day," says Sara Lazar , Ph.D., of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program, senior author of the study. "This study shows that changes in brain structure may be the root cause of some of the best references and that the people feel better not only because they spend time relaxing."
Previous studies of Lazar's team and others had found differences structure in the brains of habitual meditation practitioners and individuals who had never practiced, looking at the thickening of the cortex in areas associated with attention and emotional integration. But those investigations could not prove that these differences were actually produced by meditation.
For this study, MR images were performed (MRI) of brain structure of 16 participants two weeks before and two after taking part in the Stress Reduction Program is aware of 8 weeks (MBSR) at the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts.
addition to weekly meetings which included the practice of mindfulness meditation - focusing on non-judgmental awareness of sensations, feelings and moods -, participants were given audio recordings to the practice of guided meditation and were asked to keep track of time spent each day to practice.
were also performed MRI of the brain structure of a control group of non-practicing meditation at the same time period.
The participants in the meditation group reported having spent on average 27 minutes a day practicing awareness exercises, and their responses to a questionnaire on awareness have shown significant improvements compared to pre-participation responses. The analysis of MR images, focusing on areas where previous studies were no differences associated with meditation, has identified a greater density of gray matter in the hippocampus, important for learning and memory, and structures associated with perception of self, compassion and introspection. The reduction in stress reported by participants was related to the decrease in gray matter density in the amygdala is important for anxiety and stress. Even if you have not seen any change in the structure associated with self-awareness - call-insular cortex or insula, identified in previous studies, the authors suggest that it may be necessary protracted practice of meditation to bring about change in this area. None of these changes was detected in the control group, and this indicates that they were not derived solely from the passage of time.
"It 's fascinating to observe the adaptability of the brain and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing and we can increase our well-being and quality of life," said Britta Hölzel, PhD Research, first author of the essay and academic researchers at the MGH and the Giessen University in Germany. "Other studies diversi campioni di pazienti hanno dimostrato che la meditazione può portare significativi miglioramenti relativamente a svariati sintomi, e ora stiamo indagando sui meccanismi impliciti del cervello che facilitano il cambiamento".
Amishi Jha, Dottorato di Ricerca, neuroscienziato dell’Università di Miami, che indaga sugli effetti del training di consapevolezza su individui in stato di elevato stress, dice: "Questi risultati fanno luce sui meccanismi di azione del training di consapevolezza. Dimostrano che lo stress vissuto in prima persona non può essere ridotto semplicemente con un programma di consapevolezza di 8 settimane, ma che questo cambiamento esperienziale corrisponde a cambiamenti strutturali amygdala, a finding that opens the door to various possibilities for further investigation of the potential of MBSR (Mindful Stress Reduction Program) to protect against stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder. "Jha did not part of the team of this research.
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