Contemplative Neuroscience II
Emiliana Simon-Thomas
How can we study the effects of
meditation on the brain?
1. Compare the brains of people who are expert
meditators to the brains of people who never
meditated.
2. Teach people how to meditate and examine:
a) Does meditation practice causes changes in the
brain between before and after meditating?
b) Are there differences in the brains of people that
learn and practice meditation compared to
people that learn and practice another skill?
What can we measure?
1. Anatomical changes: cortical thickness,
connectivity
2. Functional changes: activity during meditation,
passive background activity, reactions to stimuli
3. Behavior (presumed to be produced by brain
activation) during laboratory tasks
a)
b)
c)
d)
Stimulus detection
Cognitive performance
Emotional experience
Social factors: sharing, cooperation
But how do we teach people,
especially non-buddhists, how to
meditate?
Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD,
Massachusetts General
Hospital
Mindfulness Based
Stress Reduction
(MBSR)
100s of studies on MBSR have been done by
many many scientists around the world
Many have adapted MBSR to specific needs:
• Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy
• Mindfulness Based Childbirth and Parenting
Education
• Mindfulness Based Relapse Prevention
• Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPS)…
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
Jon Kabat-Zin (1982)
Delivered MBSR to hospital patients with intractable chronic
pain: 50% of people showed more than 50% reduction in
pain.
How? By uncoupling the sensory dimension of the pain
experience from the affective/evaluative alarm reaction
and reducing the experience of suffering.
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
Kabat-Zinn & Davidson (2003)
• Worked with 41 employees from a local technology
company.
• 25 employees did MBSR
• 16 employees were on a “wait list”
8 weeks: MBSR or WAITING
T1
T2
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
MBSR
reduces
trait
anxiety
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
MBSR
increases
left>right
hemispheric
assymetry
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
MBSR
increases
immune
response to
flu vaccine
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
Today, there are 1000s of published studies on
MBSR, showing benefits in many different
contexts for many different kinds of people.
A possible underlying mechanism: Mindfulness
increases willingness to tolerate uncomfortable
emotions and sensations and emotional
acceptance and decreases the impact and time
needed to recover from negative emotional
events.
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
Hozel et. al. (2010) Harvard Medical School
• Recruited 33 people
• 16 did MBSR
• 17 were on a “wait list”
8 weeks: MBSR or WAITING
T1
T2
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
MBSR led to
increased gray
matter density
in the
hippocampus
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: MBSR
MBSR led to increased gray matter density in the
temporal parietal junction and posterior cingulate.
MBSR 





Cliff Saron, Ph.D., UC Davis
The Shamatha Project
Shamatha Meditation
(1) mindfulness of breathing to induce relaxation of body and mind, and facilitate
calming of compulsive thinking and sensory distraction
(2) observing mental events (“settling the mind in its natural state”) to enhance
attentional stability and vividness
(3) observing the nature of consciousness (“awareness of awareness”) to increase
the stability and vividness of attention
(4) loving-kindness to arouse a heartfelt wish that self and others will experience
genuine happiness and its causes, replacing resentment and hatred with a spirit of
forgiveness;
(5) compassion to arouse a heartfelt wish that self and others will be free of
suffering and its causes, thereby overcoming apathy and aloof indifference
(6) empathetic joy to arouse delight in one’s own and others’ successes, joys, and
virtues, thus countering inclinations toward envy
(7) equanimity to arouse an impartial, unconditional sense of affectionate
concern for all beings, regardless of their closeness to or distance from oneself.
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Shamatha
Shamatha study team (2005)
• 30 people did a 3 month Shamatha meditation retreat at a
remote mountain location guided by Alan Wallace (6-10
hrs/day)
3 months: Shamatha or WAITING
T1
(+ measures during Shamatha)
T2
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Shamatha
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Shamatha
Shamatha
led to
finer
visual
perceptual
acuity
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Shamatha
Shamatha
was
associated
with
longer
Telomeres
= healthier
aging
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Shamatha
Shamatha
was
associated
with
improved
social
emotional
functioning
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Shamatha
Shamatha
was
associated
with
changes in
characteris
tic brain
oscillatory
activity
Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB), UC
San Francisco
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CEB
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CEB
CEB team (2008)
• Recruited 82 female school teachers
8 weeks: CEB
T1
T2
CEB was associated with decreased negative emotions, healthier
cardiovascular responses to stress, quicker recovery from stress and
more pro-social behavior on tasks and in conversations.
Barbara Fredrickson, University of North
Carolina: Loving Kindness Meditation
(LKM)
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: LKM
Fredrickson’s team
• Recruited 67 people from a local computer company
• 67 did LKM
• 72 were on a “wait list”
8 weeks: LKM or WAITING
T1
(+ measures during LKM training)
T2
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Loving Kindness
People trained in
Loving Kindness
Meditation
showed increased
positive emotions,
including: love,
joy, gratitude,
contentment,
hope, pride,
interest,
amusement,
and awe
Richard Davidson, Ph.D.,
University of Wisconsin
MBSR,
Mindfulness &
Compassion
Training
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Compassion Training
Davidson & Weng (2012)
• Recruited 41 people
– 21 did Compassion Training
– 20 did Reappraisal Training
2 weeks: CT or RT
T1
T2
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Compassion Training
Very brief,
virtual
compassion
training led to
greater
connectivity
between DLPFC
and reward
signaling
regions, which
predicted
greater
generosity.
Tania Singer, Ph.D., Max Planck
Institute, Germany
Compassion/Loving Kindness Training
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Compassion Training
Again, brief,
compassion
training led to
greater
activation of
reward
signaling
regions,
similar to that
observed in
an expert.
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Compassion Training
Singer’s team (now)
• 11 month contemplative training: attentional control, body
and self-awareness, healthy emotion regulation, self-care,
empathy, compassion and perspective taking in Leipzig,
Germany.
Emory – Tibet Partnership
Cognitively Based Compassion Training (CBCT)
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CBCT
Emory University Team (2010)
• 45 participants did compassion training, 44 did
“health class”
6 weeks: CBCT or Health
T1
T2
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CBCT
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CBCT
CBCT led to
lower ratings
of negative
mood after a
social stress
experience
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CBCT
More CBCT
practice
predicted
less stressrelated
substances in
the blood
after a stress
experience.
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CBCT
More CBCT
practice
predicted
less stressrelated
substances in
the blood.
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CBCT
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CBCT
Emory, Harvard, University of Arizona Team
(Now)
• Compassion Attention Longitudinal Study
Center for Compassion and Altruism
Research and Education (CCARE),
Stanford University:
Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CCT
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: CCT
More CCT practice predicted less worry and less
suppression of emotional experiences.
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Compassion & FA training
Neuroscientific study of Meditation
Training: Compassion & FA training
Both compassion and focused attention meditation
training predicted greater willingness to help.
In Summary