Neural Correlates of Mindfulness and Concentration in Buddhist Monks: A fMRI study

Abstract

Recent neuroimaging studies have shown consistent neural correlates of meditation states and traits. These studies present important implications for understanding core brain systems, also for clinical applications. In our fMRI study, we investigate neural correlates of both concentrative and mindfulness-based meditation forms, in long-term meditators (Buddhist monks). We found selective activation and deactivation patterns associated to these meditation forms, including the involvement of left frontoparietal areas in mindfulness-based meditation. Our findings present important implications for current models of awareness.