Larger hippocampal dimensions in meditation practitioners: differential effects in women and men

Frontiers in Psychology

Eileen Luders¹ 

关键词: brain;    gender;    hippocampus;    meditating;    mindfulness;    MRI;    sex;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00186

学科分类：心理学（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

On average, the human hippocampus shows structural differences between meditators and non-meditators as well as between men and women. However, there is a lack of research exploring possible sex effects on hippocampal anatomy in the framework of meditation. Thus, we obtained high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging data from 30 long-term meditation practitioners (15 men/15 women) and 30 well-matched control subjects (15 men/15 women) to assess if hippocampus-specific effects manifest differently in male and female brains. Hippocampal dimensions were enlarged both in male and in female meditators when compared to sex- and age-matched controls. However, meditation effects differed between men and women in magnitude, laterality, and location on the hippocampal surface. Such sex-divergent findings may be due to genetic (innate) or acquired differences between male and female brains in the areas involved in meditation and/or suggest that male and female hippocampi are differently receptive to mindfulness practices.

【 授权许可】

CC BY