Mindfulness and Meditation Effects on Cognition
OVERVIEW:
The concept of mindfulness and meditation is rooted in Buddhist traditions but has become incorporated into Western thought and psychological theory. Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Every person has a predisposition toward being more mindful or mindless; but we are all, to some degree, mindful. People may enhance their levels of mindfulness by engaging in meditation practice. Psychologists and researchers have developed mindfulness-based techniques that have been shown to relieve psychological problems. Examples of therapy modalities that utilize mindfulness-based techniques include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Many of these therapies incorporate meditation practice in order to enhance the patient’s level of mindfulness. Researchers have also found that improved levels of mindfulness and regular meditation practice contribute to changes in the brain that may improve neuropsychological functioning including attention, memory, and executive functioning skills. The increasing interest in mindfulness interventions and promising research findings have led to many questions about the brain changes and cognitive skills that may be related to mindfulness and meditation as well as the effects that mindfulness and meditation may have on clinical populations.
PODCAST/WEBINAR: How Meditation Can Reshape Our Brains
Neuroscientist Sara Lazar's brain scans show meditation can actually change the size of key regions of our brain, improving our memory and making us more empathetic, compassionate, and resilient under stress. The segment is about eight minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8rRzTtP7Tc
ABSTRACT:
Effect of meditation on cognitive functions in context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases (2014)
Effects of different meditation practices on various aspects of mental and physical health is receiving growing attention. The present paper reviews evidence on the effects of several meditation practices on cognitive functions in the context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The effect of meditation in this area is still poorly explored. Seven studies were detected through the databases search, which explores the effect of meditation on attention, memory, executive functions, and other miscellaneous measures of cognition in a sample of older people and people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Overall, reviewed studies suggested a positive effect of meditation techniques, particularly in the area of attention, as well as memory, verbal fluency, and cognitive flexibility. These findings are discussed in the context of MRI studies suggesting structural correlates of the effects. Meditation can be a potentially suitable non-pharmacological intervention aimed at the prevention of cognitive decline in the elderly. However, the conclusions of these studies are limited by their methodological flaws and differences of various types of meditation techniques. Further research in this direction could help to verify the validity of the findings and clarify the problematic aspects. [Marciniak, R., Sheardova, K., Čermáková, P., Hudeček, D., Šumec, R., & Hort, J. (2014). Effect of meditation on cognitive functions in context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 8. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00017].http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3903052/
FURTHER READING:
The concept of mindfulness and meditation is rooted in Buddhist traditions but has become incorporated into Western thought and psychological theory. Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations. Every person has a predisposition toward being more mindful or mindless; but we are all, to some degree, mindful. People may enhance their levels of mindfulness by engaging in meditation practice. Psychologists and researchers have developed mindfulness-based techniques that have been shown to relieve psychological problems. Examples of therapy modalities that utilize mindfulness-based techniques include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Many of these therapies incorporate meditation practice in order to enhance the patient’s level of mindfulness. Researchers have also found that improved levels of mindfulness and regular meditation practice contribute to changes in the brain that may improve neuropsychological functioning including attention, memory, and executive functioning skills. The increasing interest in mindfulness interventions and promising research findings have led to many questions about the brain changes and cognitive skills that may be related to mindfulness and meditation as well as the effects that mindfulness and meditation may have on clinical populations.
PODCAST/WEBINAR: How Meditation Can Reshape Our Brains
Neuroscientist Sara Lazar's brain scans show meditation can actually change the size of key regions of our brain, improving our memory and making us more empathetic, compassionate, and resilient under stress. The segment is about eight minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8rRzTtP7Tc
ABSTRACT:
Effect of meditation on cognitive functions in context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases (2014)
Effects of different meditation practices on various aspects of mental and physical health is receiving growing attention. The present paper reviews evidence on the effects of several meditation practices on cognitive functions in the context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. The effect of meditation in this area is still poorly explored. Seven studies were detected through the databases search, which explores the effect of meditation on attention, memory, executive functions, and other miscellaneous measures of cognition in a sample of older people and people suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. Overall, reviewed studies suggested a positive effect of meditation techniques, particularly in the area of attention, as well as memory, verbal fluency, and cognitive flexibility. These findings are discussed in the context of MRI studies suggesting structural correlates of the effects. Meditation can be a potentially suitable non-pharmacological intervention aimed at the prevention of cognitive decline in the elderly. However, the conclusions of these studies are limited by their methodological flaws and differences of various types of meditation techniques. Further research in this direction could help to verify the validity of the findings and clarify the problematic aspects. [Marciniak, R., Sheardova, K., Čermáková, P., Hudeček, D., Šumec, R., & Hort, J. (2014). Effect of meditation on cognitive functions in context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 8. doi: 10.3389/fnbeh.2014.00017].http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3903052/
FURTHER READING:
- Holzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., Ott, U. et al. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6(6), 537-559. doi: 10.1177/1745691611419671 http://pps.sagepub.com/content/6/6/537.short
- Azulay, J., Smart, C. M., Mott, T., & Cicerone, K. D. (2013). A pilot study examining the effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction on symptoms of chronic mild traumatic brain injury/postconcussive syndrome. The Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 28(4), 323-331. doi: 10.1097/HTR.0b013e318250ebda http://journals.lww.com/headtraumarehab/Abstract/2013/07000/A_Pilot_Study_Examining_the_Effect_of.10.aspx
- Lazar, S. W., Bush, G., Gollub, R. L., Fricchione, G. L., Khalsa, G., & Benson, H. (2000, May). Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation. NeuroReport, 11(7), 1581-1585. doi:10.1097/00001756-20000515000041 http://journals.lww.com/neuroreport/Abstract/2000/05150/Functional_brain_mapping_of_the_relaxation.41.aspx
- Zeidan, F., Johnson, S. K., Diamond, B. J., David, Z., & Goolkasian, P. (2010). Mindfulness meditation improves cognition: Evidence of brief mental training. Consciousness and Cognition, 19, 597-605. doi: 10.1016/j.concog.2010.03.014 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810010000681
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