References from Fun Facts on Meditation

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Here you’ll find the references to the studies that my trusty research buddy chatGPT used to source the information I used to write Fun Facts About Meditation.

I didn’t read the studies myself, but if you’d like to dig deeper, you’ll find the information here.

References

Here are some references for studies that have investigated the relationship between meditation and gray matter changes in the brain:

  1. Holzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36-43.
  2. Luders, E., Toga, A. W., Lepore, N., & Gaser, C. (2009). The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: Larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter. Neuroimage, 45(3), 672-678.
  3. Fox, K. C., Nijeboer, S., Dixon, M. L., Floman, J. L., Ellamil, M., Rumak, S. P., … & Christoff, K. (2014). Is meditation associated with altered brain structure? A systematic review and meta-analysis of morphometric neuroimaging in meditation practitioners. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 43, 48-73.

There have been several studies that have investigated the relationship between meditation and gyrification. Here are a few examples:

  • In a 2011 study published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, researchers found that individuals who had extensive meditation experience had increased gyrification in several brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex and the insula. The researchers suggested that this increased gyrification may be related to the improved attentional and self-regulatory abilities that are often associated with meditation.
  • Another study published in 2015 in the journal NeuroImage found that just eight weeks of mindfulness meditation training was enough to increase gyrification in several brain regions, including the left prefrontal cortex, which is involved in attention and decision-making.
  • A 2018 study published in the journal Brain and Cognition found that individuals who practiced Vipassana meditation had greater gyrification in several regions of the brain, including the anterior cingulate cortex, which is involved in emotion regulation and cognitive control.
  • One study published in the journal Neuroimage found that experienced meditators had greater gyrification in several brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, compared to non-meditators. The authors suggested that this increased gyrification may reflect greater neural plasticity in meditators. (Reference: Luders et al., 2012)
  • Another study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology found that an eight-week mindfulness meditation intervention led to increases in gyrification in several brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex. The authors suggested that these changes may underlie improvements in cognitive and emotional functioning that have been reported in previous studies of mindfulness meditation. (Reference: Tang et al., 2015)A third study published in the journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging found that long-term meditation practice was associated with greater gyrification in several brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex and insula. The authors suggested that these changes may be related to improved emotion regulation and cognitive control in meditators. (Reference: Kang et al., 2013)

These studies explore how meditation affects the defaut mode network

  • Brewer, J. A., Worhunsky, P. D., Gray, J. R., Tang, Y. Y., Weber, J., & Kober, H. (2011). Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(50), 20254-20259.
  • Hasenkamp, W., & Barsalou, L. W. (2012). Effects of meditation experience on functional connectivity of distributed brain networks. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6, 38.
  • Garrison, K. A., Santoyo, J. F., Davis, J. H., Thornhill, T. A., Ivins, Z. G., Twyford, R. G., … & Brewer, J. A. (2019). Effortless awareness: Using real-time neurofeedback to investigate correlates of posterior cingulate cortex activity in meditators’ self-report. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 13, 76.
  • Taylor, V. A., Daneault, V., Grant, J., Scavone, G., Breton, E., Roffe-Vidal, S., … & Beauregard, M. (2013). Impact of mindfulness on the neural responses to emotional pictures in experienced and beginner meditators. NeuroImage, 57(4), 1524-1533.

Here are a few studies that explore the relationship between meditation and melatonin:

  • Tooley, G. A., Armstrong, S. M., Norman, T. R., & Sali, A. (2000). Acute increases in night-time plasma melatonin levels following a period of meditation. Biological Psychology, 53(1), 69-78.
  • Harinath, K., Malhotra, A. S., Pal, K., Prasad, R., Kumar, R., Kain, T. C., & Rai, L. (2004). Effects of Hatha yoga and Omkar meditation on cardiorespiratory performance, psychologic profile, and melatonin secretion. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10(2), 261-268.
  • Harinath, K., Malhotra, A. S., Pal, K., Prasad, R., Kumar, R., Kain, T. C., & Rai, L. (2004). Effects of Hatha yoga and Omkar meditation on cardiorespiratory performance, psychologic profile, and melatonin secretion. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 10(2), 261-268.