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. 2012 Jun 26;109(26):10570-4.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1207817109. Epub 2012 Jun 11.

Mechanisms of white matter changes induced by meditation

Yi-Yuan Tang  1 , Qilin Lu, Ming Fan, Yihong Yang, Michael I Posner
Affiliations

Mechanisms of white matter changes induced by meditation

Yi-Yuan Tang et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Using diffusion tensor imaging, several recent studies have shown that training results in changes in white matter efficiency as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA). In our work, we found that a form of mindfulness meditation, integrative body-mind training (IBMT), improved FA in areas surrounding the anterior cingulate cortex after 4-wk training more than controls given relaxation training. Reductions in radial diffusivity (RD) have been interpreted as improved myelin but reductions in axial diffusivity (AD) involve other mechanisms, such as axonal density. We now report that after 4-wk training with IBMT, both RD and AD decrease accompanied by increased FA, indicating improved efficiency of white matter involves increased myelin as well as other axonal changes. However, 2-wk IBMT reduced AD, but not RD or FA, and improved moods. Our results demonstrate the time-course of white matter neuroplasticity in short-term meditation. This dynamic pattern of white matter change involving the anterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain network related to self-regulation, could provide a means for intervention to improve or prevent mental disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
FA increase and AD and RD decrease in different brain regions after 4-wk IBMT. Statistical images are shown on the Johns Hopkins University Atlas (18) at PFWE < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons at sagittal section x = −13, x = −17, x = −21, and x = −25.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Decrease of AD in different brain regions after 2-wk IBMT. Statistical images are shown at PFWE < 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons at sagittal section x = −13, x = −27, x = −35, and x = −41.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Correlation between TMD change and AD decrease at left posterior corona radiata after 2-wk IBMT. The horizontal axis indicates the POMS total score change and the vertical axis indicates the AD change at left posterior corona radiata. A positive Pearson’s correlation was observed (r = 0.409, P = 0.016).
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Correlation between TMD change and AD decrease at left sagittal stratum (r = 0.409) after 2-wk IBMT. The horizontal axis indicates the POMS total score change and the vertical axis indicates the AD change at left sagittal stratum. A positive Pearson’s correlation was observed (r = 0.447, P = 0.008).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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