How Does Meditation Change the Brain? - Instant Egghead #54

Meditation can sharpen attention, strengthen memory and improve other mental abilities. Scientific American editor Ferris Jabr examines the changes in brain structure behind some of these benefits.

--
Please visit our website to discover the latest advances in science and technology: bit.ly/30Z4ZpZ
Discover world-changing science with a subscription to Scientific American. Learn more: bit.ly/2RtR1cs

--

More to explore:

Does mindfulness training improve cognitive abilities? A systematic review of neuropsychological findings. [Preview] (Clinical Psychology Review) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21183265

Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice (PNAS) www.pnas.org/content/101/46/16369.long

Evidence builds that meditation strengthens the brain, UCLA researchers say (UCLA)
newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/evidence-builds-that…

The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: Larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter (PMC) www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3184843/

Age effects on gray matter volume and attentional performance in Zen meditation (Neurobiology of Aging) www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458…

Age effects on attentional blink performance in meditation [Preview](Conciousness and Cognition) www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053810…

Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources (PLOS Biology)
www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2…

The American Psychological Association on the benefits of mindfulness


--

Credits:
Written & presented by Ferris Jabr
Line art by Scott Brundage & Eric R. Olson
Production assistant: Joss Fong
Produced & edted by Eric R. Olson