MECHANISM OF ACTION 2 NEUROPLASTICITY NEUROPLASTICITY The brain

MECHANISM OF ACTION 2: NEUROPLASTICITY

NEUROPLASTICITY • The brain is not a static structure. New neurons/growth/changes of pathways occur throughout our lifetime • Imaging procedures are used to study the effects of meditation on the brain, including • • • Electroencephalography (EEG) Single photon omission computed tomography (PET) Functional magnetic resonance imaging (f. MRI)

EFFECTS OF MEDITATION ON THE BRAIN • Research is revealing that different types of meditation effect different parts of the brain, thus resulting in differing benefits • However, data is somewhat limited and early, so we do not yet understand the complete picture of how meditation effects the brain • What is seen in the initial data is that what you practice is what you get: i. e. , if you practice cultivating loving compassion, changes are seen in the frontal brain and thalamus which regulate positive emotions. • My advice is to choose a focal point for your practice that supports the areas you would like to grow

PREFRONTAL CORTEX • What does it do? • • Planning, complex cognitive behavior, personality expression, decision making, moderating social behavior Types of Meditation Studied • • • Insight meditation: thicker cortex in meditation participants than matched controls, most pronounced in older age group which suggests meditation may offset age-related cortical thinning (Lazar et al 2005). Applications for preventing dementia, age-related volume loss. Acem meditation: increased theta EEG waves across all brain regions, but particularly in the frontal and temporal-central regions. (Lagopoulos et al 2009). Theta waves are brain waves that appear during drowsy states. Kirtan Kriya meditation: enhanced cognition in patients with mild cognitive impairment

AMYGDALA • What does it do? • • Fear response Emotional regulation • What types of meditation have been studied? • • Mindful attention training Cognitive-Based Compassion Training Dispositional Mindfulness: decreased gray matter volume in right amygdala Desbordes et al 2012, Taren et al 2013

INSULAR CORTEX/INSULA • What does it do? • • • Pain, emotions, perception, self-awareness, drug cravings, consciousness. It facilitates our concept of self awareness and our bodies interaction with awareness and emotions creating perception of the present moment experience What types of meditation have been studied? • Zen Meditation: increased thickness of cortex associated with lower pain sensitivity (Grant et al 2010) • Yoga: more gray matter in multiple regions, correlated with pain tolerance (Villemure et al 2013)

ANTERIOR INSULAR CORTEX • What does it do? • • Intercoceptive awareness of body states Flexible self-concept • What types of meditation have been studied? • Mindfulness: thicker right anterior insula with long term practice (Ngo et al 2013)

ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX • What does it do? • • Attention regulation, emotion and behavior regulation, deficits associated with: ADD, addiction, dementia, depression, schizophrenia, chronic pain What types of meditation have been studied? • IBMT: Integrative Body-Mind Therapy: from Chinese traditional medicine, emphasizing body relaxation, mental imagery and mindfulness increased activity in the ACC compared to control group given relaxation techniques (Tang et al 2010) • Zen meditation: thicker cortex associated with decreased pain sensitivity. The more years of meditation experience, the thicker the gray matter in the ACC (Grant et al 2010)

POSTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX • What does it do? • Flexible self-concept, understanding context, emotion regulation • What types of meditation have been studied? • Mindfulness based stress reduction: increases gray matter density, changes in gray matter in regions involved in learning/memory, emotion regulation, selfreferential processing and perspective (Holzel et al 2011)

NUCLEUS ACCUMBENS • What does it do? • Reward system, motivation, pleasure, reward/reinforcement • What types of meditation have been studied? • Ecstatic Meditation (Jhana Altered State of Consciousness): f. MRI and EEG results on an experienced meditator showed changes in brain activity after jhana is entered. Practice induces extreme joy and shows activation in the NA in the dopamine reward system. Self-stimulating a brain reward using only internal stimuli. (Hagerty et al 2013)

BRAINSTEM • What does it do? • • Autonomic regulation: heart rate, breathing, sleeping, eating, Medulla oblangata: respiration, circulation What types of meditation have been studied? • Concetrative practice: increased gray matter density but no volume changes in the medulla oblangata (Vestergaard-Poulsen et al 2009) • • Open Awareness practice Dzogchen tradition within Tibetan Buddhism

NEUROPLASTICITY SUM • Research has shown that through various meditation practices, physical changes in brain structure occur which allow for a variety of postitive effects on the neurological system including • • • Better tolerance of pain/decreased experience of pain Greater ability to regulate emotions Prevention of dementia Less fear Greater attention Ability to self stimulate joy/reward