Functional neuroanatomy of meditation: A review and meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging investigations

NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS

卷:65

Review

Fox, Kieran C. R.¹  Dixon, Matthew L.¹  Nijeboer, Savannah¹  Girn, Manesh¹  Floman, James L.²  Lifshitz, Michael³  Ellamil, Melissa⁴  Sedlmeier, Peter⁵  Christoff, Kalina^1,6 

[1] Univ British Columbia, Dept Psychol, 2136 W Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada

[2] Univ British Columbia, Dept Educ & Counselling Psychol & Special Educ, 2125 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada

[3] McGill Univ, Integrated Program Neurosci, 3775 Univ St, Montreal, PQ H3A 2B4, Canada

[4] Max Planck Inst Human Cognit & Brain Sci, Neuroanat & Connect Res Grp, Stephanstr 1a, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany

[5] Tech Univ Chemnitz, Inst Psychol, 43 Wilhelm Raabe St, Chemnitz, Germany

[6] Univ British Columbia, Brain Res Ctr, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5, Canada

关键词: Meditation;    Open monitoring;    Focused attention;    Functional magnetic resonance imaging;    Meta-analysis;    Activation likelihood estimation;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.03.021

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Meditation is a family of mental practices that encompasses a wide array of techniques employing distinctive mental strategies. We systematically reviewed 78 functional neuroimaging (fMRI and PET) studies of meditation, and used activation likelihood estimation to meta-analyze 257 peak foci from 31 experiments involving 527 participants. We found reliably dissociable patterns of brain activation and deactivation for four common styles of meditation (focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and compassion/loving-kindness), and suggestive differences for three others (visualization, sense-withdrawal, and non-dual awareness practices). Overall, dissociable activation patterns are congruent with the psychological and behavioral aims of each practice. Some brain areas are recruited consistently across multiple techniques including insula, pre/supplementary motor cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and frontopolar cortex but convergence is the exception rather than the rule. A preliminary effect-size meta-analysis found medium effects for both activations (d = 0.59) and deactivations (d = -0.74), suggesting potential practical significance. Our meta-analysis supports the neurophysiological dissociability of meditation practices, but also raises many methodological concerns and suggests avenues for future research. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

【 授权许可】

Free