Study shows meditation increases brain size - alt-psychology-nlp

08-16-2006, 09:53 PM

Thought you folks would enjoy reading this(especially those who have
ignorantly labeled meditation 'a band aid')

Read on:

"Brain in the News" is a weekly commentary on how brain science relates to
>> the news. The brain is involved in everything we do. Wherever there are
>> human stories the brain is involved. From the impact of war and natural
>> disasters on the brain to drug abuse scandals to courtroom dramas to
>> politics the brain is in the news, and you can read about it here.
>>
>>
>>
>> MEDITATION FOUND TO INCREASE BRAIN SIZE
>>
>> People who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don't. Researchers at
>> Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the
>> first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our
>> brains. Brain scans they conducted reveal that experienced meditators
>> boasted increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with attention
>> and processing sensory input.
>>
>> In one area of gray matter, the thickening turns out to be more pronounced
>> in older than in younger people. That's intriguing because those sections of
>> the human cortex, or thinking cap, normally get thinner as we age.
>>
>> "Our data suggest that meditation practice can promote cortical plasticity
>> in adults in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and
>> well-being," says Sara Lazar, leader of the study and a psychologist at
>> Harvard Medical School. "These findings are consistent with other studies
>> that demonstrated increased thickness of music areas in the brains of
>> musicians, and visual and motor areas in the brains of jugglers. In other
>> words, the structure of an adult brain can change in response to repeated
>> practice."
>>
>> The researchers compared brain scans of 20 experienced meditators with those
>> of 15 nonmeditators. Four of the former taught meditation or yoga, but they
>> were not monks living in seclusion. The rest worked in careers such as law,
>> health care, and journalism. All the participants were white. During
>> scanning, the meditators meditated; the others just relaxed and thought
>> about whatever they wanted.
>>
>> Meditators did Buddhist "insight meditation," which focuses on whatever is
>> there, like noise or body sensations. It doesn't involve "om," other
>> mantras, or chanting.
>>
>> "The goal is to pay attention to sensory experience, rather than to your
>> thoughts about the sensory experience," Lazar explains. "For example, if you
>> suddenly hear a noise, you just listen to it rather than thinking about it.
>> If your leg falls asleep, you just notice the physical sensations. If
>> nothing is there, you pay attention to your breathing." Successful
>> meditators get used to not thinking or elaborating things in their mind.
>>
>> Study participants meditated an average of about 40 minutes a day. Some had
>> been doing it for only a year, others for decades. Depth of the meditation
>> was measured by the slowing of breathing rates. Those most deeply involved
>> in the meditation showed the greatest changes in brain structure. "This
>> strongly suggests," Lazar concludes, "that the differences in brain
>> structure were caused by the meditation, rather than that differences in
>> brain thickness got them into meditation in the first place."
>>
>> Lazar took up meditation about 10 years ago and now practices insight
>> meditation about three times a week. At first she was not sure it would
>> work. But "I have definitely experienced beneficial changes," she says. "It
>> reduces stress [and] increases my clarity of thought and my tolerance for
>> staying focused in difficult situations."
>>
>> Controlling random thoughts
>>
>> Insight meditation can be practiced anytime, anywhere. "People who do it
>> quickly realize that much of what goes on in their heads involves random
>> thoughts that often have little substance," Lazar comments. "The goal is not
>> so much to 'empty' your head, but to not get caught up in random thoughts
>> that pop into consciousness."
>>
>> She uses this example: Facing an important deadline, people tend to worry
>> about what will happen if they miss it, or if the end product will be good
>> enough to suit the boss. You can drive yourself crazy with unproductive
>> "what if" worry. "If, instead, you focus on the present moment, on what
>> needs to be done and what is happening right now, then much of the feeling
>> of stress goes away," Lazar says. "Feelings become less obstructive and more
>> motivational."
>>
>> The increased thickness of gray matter is not very much, 4 to 8 thousandths
>> of an inch. "These increases are proportional to the time a person has been
>> meditating during their lives," Lazar notes. "This suggests that the
>> thickness differences are acquired through extensive practice and not simply
>> due to differences between meditators and nonmeditators."
>>
>> As small as they are, you can bet those differences are going to lead to
>> lots more studies to find out just what is going on and how meditation might
>> better be used to improve health and well-being, and even slow aging.
>>
>> More basic questions need to be answered. What causes the increased
>> thickness? Does meditation produce more connections between brain cells, or
>> more blood vessels? How does increased brain thickness influence daily
>> behavior? Does it promote increased communication between intellectual and
>> emotional areas of the brain?
>>
>> To get answers, larger studies are planned at Massachusetts General
>> Hospital, the Harvard-affiliated facility where Lazar is a research
>> scientist and where these first studies were done. That work included only
>> 20 meditators and their brains were scanned only once.
>>
>> "The results were very encouraging," Lazar remarks. "But further research
>> needs to be done using a larger number of people and testing them multiple
>> times. We also need to examine their brains both before and after learning
>> to meditate. Our group is currently planning to do this. Eventually, such
>> research should reveal more about the function of the thickening; that is,
>> how it affects emotions and knowing in terms of both awareness and
>> judgment."
>>
>> Slowing aging?
>>
>> Since this type of meditation counteracts the natural thinning of the
>> thinking surface of the brain, could it play a role in slowing - even
>> reversing - aging? That could really be mind-boggling in the most positive
>> sense.
>>
>> Lazar is cautious in her answer. "Our data suggest that one small bit of
>> brain appears to have a slower rate of cortical thinning, so meditation may
>> help slow some aspects of cognitive aging," she agrees. "But it's important
>> to remember that monks and yogis suffer from the same ailments as the rest
>> of us. They get old and die, too. However, they do claim to enjoy an
>> increased capacity for attention and memory."
>>
>> To Your Brain Health,
>>
>> Daniel
>>
>> Daniel G. Amen, MD
>> CEO, Amen Clinics, Inc
>>
>> "Brain In The News" is offered as a free service to educate people on how
>> the brain relates to our behavior. You can subscribe for free at
>> www.amenclinics.com. You can see over 300 color 3D brain SPECT images at
>> www.brainplace.com.
>>

08-16-2006, 09:53 PM	#1 (permalink)
Ross Guest Posts: n/a	Study shows meditation increases brain size Thought you folks would enjoy reading this(especially those who have ignorantly labeled meditation 'a band aid') Read on: "Brain in the News" is a weekly commentary on how brain science relates to >> the news. The brain is involved in everything we do. Wherever there are >> human stories the brain is involved. From the impact of war and natural >> disasters on the brain to drug abuse scandals to courtroom dramas to >> politics the brain is in the news, and you can read about it here. >> >> >> >> MEDITATION FOUND TO INCREASE BRAIN SIZE >> >> People who meditate grow bigger brains than those who don't. Researchers at >> Harvard, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found the >> first evidence that meditation can alter the physical structure of our >> brains. Brain scans they conducted reveal that experienced meditators >> boasted increased thickness in parts of the brain that deal with attention >> and processing sensory input. >> >> In one area of gray matter, the thickening turns out to be more pronounced >> in older than in younger people. That's intriguing because those sections of >> the human cortex, or thinking cap, normally get thinner as we age. >> >> "Our data suggest that meditation practice can promote cortical plasticity >> in adults in areas important for cognitive and emotional processing and >> well-being," says Sara Lazar, leader of the study and a psychologist at >> Harvard Medical School. "These findings are consistent with other studies >> that demonstrated increased thickness of music areas in the brains of >> musicians, and visual and motor areas in the brains of jugglers. In other >> words, the structure of an adult brain can change in response to repeated >> practice." >> >> The researchers compared brain scans of 20 experienced meditators with those >> of 15 nonmeditators. Four of the former taught meditation or yoga, but they >> were not monks living in seclusion. The rest worked in careers such as law, >> health care, and journalism. All the participants were white. During >> scanning, the meditators meditated; the others just relaxed and thought >> about whatever they wanted. >> >> Meditators did Buddhist "insight meditation," which focuses on whatever is >> there, like noise or body sensations. It doesn't involve "om," other >> mantras, or chanting. >> >> "The goal is to pay attention to sensory experience, rather than to your >> thoughts about the sensory experience," Lazar explains. "For example, if you >> suddenly hear a noise, you just listen to it rather than thinking about it. >> If your leg falls asleep, you just notice the physical sensations. If >> nothing is there, you pay attention to your breathing." Successful >> meditators get used to not thinking or elaborating things in their mind. >> >> Study participants meditated an average of about 40 minutes a day. Some had >> been doing it for only a year, others for decades. Depth of the meditation >> was measured by the slowing of breathing rates. Those most deeply involved >> in the meditation showed the greatest changes in brain structure. "This >> strongly suggests," Lazar concludes, "that the differences in brain >> structure were caused by the meditation, rather than that differences in >> brain thickness got them into meditation in the first place." >> >> Lazar took up meditation about 10 years ago and now practices insight >> meditation about three times a week. At first she was not sure it would >> work. But "I have definitely experienced beneficial changes," she says. "It >> reduces stress [and] increases my clarity of thought and my tolerance for >> staying focused in difficult situations." >> >> Controlling random thoughts >> >> Insight meditation can be practiced anytime, anywhere. "People who do it >> quickly realize that much of what goes on in their heads involves random >> thoughts that often have little substance," Lazar comments. "The goal is not >> so much to 'empty' your head, but to not get caught up in random thoughts >> that pop into consciousness." >> >> She uses this example: Facing an important deadline, people tend to worry >> about what will happen if they miss it, or if the end product will be good >> enough to suit the boss. You can drive yourself crazy with unproductive >> "what if" worry. "If, instead, you focus on the present moment, on what >> needs to be done and what is happening right now, then much of the feeling >> of stress goes away," Lazar says. "Feelings become less obstructive and more >> motivational." >> >> The increased thickness of gray matter is not very much, 4 to 8 thousandths >> of an inch. "These increases are proportional to the time a person has been >> meditating during their lives," Lazar notes. "This suggests that the >> thickness differences are acquired through extensive practice and not simply >> due to differences between meditators and nonmeditators." >> >> As small as they are, you can bet those differences are going to lead to >> lots more studies to find out just what is going on and how meditation might >> better be used to improve health and well-being, and even slow aging. >> >> More basic questions need to be answered. What causes the increased >> thickness? Does meditation produce more connections between brain cells, or >> more blood vessels? How does increased brain thickness influence daily >> behavior? Does it promote increased communication between intellectual and >> emotional areas of the brain? >> >> To get answers, larger studies are planned at Massachusetts General >> Hospital, the Harvard-affiliated facility where Lazar is a research >> scientist and where these first studies were done. That work included only >> 20 meditators and their brains were scanned only once. >> >> "The results were very encouraging," Lazar remarks. "But further research >> needs to be done using a larger number of people and testing them multiple >> times. We also need to examine their brains both before and after learning >> to meditate. Our group is currently planning to do this. Eventually, such >> research should reveal more about the function of the thickening; that is, >> how it affects emotions and knowing in terms of both awareness and >> judgment." >> >> Slowing aging? >> >> Since this type of meditation counteracts the natural thinning of the >> thinking surface of the brain, could it play a role in slowing - even >> reversing - aging? That could really be mind-boggling in the most positive >> sense. >> >> Lazar is cautious in her answer. "Our data suggest that one small bit of >> brain appears to have a slower rate of cortical thinning, so meditation may >> help slow some aspects of cognitive aging," she agrees. "But it's important >> to remember that monks and yogis suffer from the same ailments as the rest >> of us. They get old and die, too. However, they do claim to enjoy an >> increased capacity for attention and memory." >> >> To Your Brain Health, >> >> Daniel >> >> Daniel G. Amen, MD >> CEO, Amen Clinics, Inc >> >> "Brain In The News" is offered as a free service to educate people on how >> the brain relates to our behavior. You can subscribe for free at >> www.amenclinics.com. You can see over 300 color 3D brain SPECT images at >> www.brainplace.com. >>

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