Article2009

Does Meditation Enhance Cognition and Brain Plasticity?

Glen L. Xiong · Pudugramam Murali Doraiswamy

128 citations0/0 files storedAnnals of the New York Academy of Sciences

No readable copy stored yet — this record is metadata only.

No open-access location is known for this record yet.

Literature note Cite in a project Citation map

Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies

Abstract

Meditation practices have various health benefits including the possibility of preserving cognition and preventing dementia. While the mechanisms remain investigational, studies show that meditation may affect multiple pathways that could play a role in brain aging and mental fitness. For example, meditation may reduce stress-induced cortisol secretion and this could have neuroprotective effects potentially via elevating levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Meditation may also potentially have beneficial effects on lipid profiles and lower oxidative stress, both of which could in turn reduce the risk for cerebrovascular disease and age-related neurodegeneration. Further, meditation may potentially strengthen neuronal circuits and enhance cognitive reserve capacity. These are the theoretical bases for how meditation might enhance longevity and optimal health. Evidence to support a neuroprotective effect comes from cognitive, electroencephalogram (EEG), and structural neuroimaging studies. In one cross-sectional study, meditation practitioners were found to have a lower age-related decline in thickness of specific cortical regions. However, the enthusiasm must be balanced by the inconsistency and preliminary nature of existing studies as well as the fact that meditation comprises a heterogeneous group of practices. Key future challenges include the isolation of a potential common element in the different meditation modalities, replication of existing findings in larger randomized trials, determining the correct "dose," studying whether findings from expert practitioners are generalizable to a wider population, and better control of the confounding genetic, dietary and lifestyle influences.

Paper brief

Loading…

Cite this work

Citation unavailable for this work.

BibTeX RIS CSL-JSON

No public copy is stored for this record, so only the metadata is cited.

Citations in this library

Citation map →

Stored only when both papers are in the corpus — 128 citations exist upstream.

References

2003Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation 2005Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness 2004Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice 1989Transcendental Meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: An experimental study with the elderly.2003The neural basis of the complex mental task of meditation: neurotransmitter and neurochemical considerations 2006Systematic Review of the Efficacy of Meditation Techniques as Treatments for Medical Illness 2005Impact of regular meditation practice on EEG activity at rest and during evoked negative emotions 2001Three randomized experiments on the longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on cognition

Cited by

2011Effect of Meditation on Stress-Induced Changes in Cognitive Functions 2020Mindfulness improves inflammatory biomarker levels in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial 2020Spin-Offs: A Better World Through Military Psychology

Explore the map →

Papers that cite the same references — the relational fallback while embeddings are still backfilling.

Imported from OpenAlex (CC0) — nothing here is generated.