Mindfulness and the Brain: What Does Research and Neuroscience Say?

Unravel the intricate relationship between mindfulness and the brain as we delve into the latest research and neuroscience findings. Discover how mindfulness practices can shape our neural pathways and influence our mental health, cognition, and overall well-being.

Larissa Duncan, Ph.D.

Currently the Elizabeth C. Davies Chair in Child & Family Well-Being at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Duncan is looking toward the future and studying how Mindfulness-Based Childbirth and Parenting might affect a mothers’ mental health, stress physiology, and well-being.

A Take-Home Message

The brain is plastic, meaning it has plasticity, the ability to learn and grow and change over time.

• Meditation affects the brain’s functionality, its structure, and its thought patterns. The more you meditate and practice mindfulness, the more the brain’s synapses strengthen, which can help improve your life.
• Joining together neuroscience and mindfulness, you can begin to bridge the gap and connect all of the dots between how the brain really works and how those daily practices can impact your life by practicing mindfulness and meditation.

Can Mindfulness Help ADHD?

According to a National Institute of Health study, meditation or medication, mindfulness might also be useful in the treatment of ADHD

• One randomized controlled trial compared the affectedness of mindfulness instruction to the effectiveness of methylphenidate
• The study is currently focused on measures of attention and hyperactivity as well as impulsivity

Elissa Epel, Ph.D

Professor at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine

• Linked stress with shortened telomeres, which are cellular structures that play a key role in both disease and aging
• Her mindfulness research has also focused on examining the benefits of meditation as a tool for people who are under severe stress or experiencing ongoing stress

Benefits of Mindfulness

Optimization of mental health

• Positive impact on the brain and immune system
• Help with chronic pain
• Improve interpersonal behavior
• Provide greater empathy and compassion
• Burnout is a big problem in the healthcare industry
• Mindfulness can help boost resilience and create positive changes while reducing stress and burnout

What is mindfulness?

Being present in the moment means focusing your awareness on the here and now. It’s about embracing each moment of the day and not worrying about what tomorrow may bring.

• Scientists still don’t have a full understanding of what happens in the brain when we practice mindfulness or meditate, but there is much more to learn.

A Look at the Field of Mindfulness Research

The goal of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is to help people change thoughts that are unproductive

• M stands for Mindfulness, or bringing your awareness to the present moment without judgment or expectation.
• B stands for Based, as in derived from or connected to. C stands for Cognitive, which refers to the thinking, planning, and measuring parts of the brain. T stands for Therapy or the treatment of illnesses and disease.

David Creswell, Ph.D.

Associate professor of psychology, Carnegie Mellon University

How Mindfulness Affects and Changes The Brain

8 unique regions of the brain were consistently changed in those who were experienced in meditation.

• Changes in brain density, changes in thickness of brain tissue, an increase in the number of neurons, fibers, and glia in a given region, and changes in cortical surface area.

What do all these unique regions of the brain really do?

The rostrolateral prefrontal cortex is linked with a greater awareness of the thinking process (meta-awareness), the processing of complex, abstract information and introspection.

• Sensory cortices and insular cortex are the main cortical hubs when it comes to tactile information, like touch, pain, body awareness, and conscious proprioception, and the hippocampus is a pair of subcortical structures that are involved with the formation of memory as well as facilitating emotional responses.

The Neuroscience of Mindfulness: A Look Inside

Evidence shows that mindfulness can help increase our resilience, which allows us to cope better and roll with the punches.

• By applying neuroplasticity, you can essentially “re-wire” and “hardwire” the brain helping you achieve greater levels of peace, health, happiness, and joy
• Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School, actually uses MRI technology to look at the brain. In her research, she looks at the detailed structures of the brain to see what might be going on during certain tasks like meditation or yoga.

7 Studies You Need to Know About Mindfulness

Mindfulness changes the brain

• Lutz, Dunne & Davidson (2008) examined how mindfulness impacts the amygdala, a region of the brain that is primarily associated with emotional processes
• The hippocampus also plays a role in mindfulness.
• Following mindfulness training, this region of brain was also found to be more active
• It can help us nurture healthier relationships as well.

Mindfulness Versus Medication: What Can We Prove?

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was compared with anti-depressant medication.

• 73% of participants who had an unstable remission had a reduction in the risk of relapse in both the MBCT and the antidepressant group compared with a placebo.

The Research On Autism and Mindfulness

Research has shown that mindfulness is a beneficial practice that can lead to less parenting stress, less anxiety, lower levels of depression and improvements in sleep and life-satisfaction.

• Mindfulness may also help those with Asperger syndrome, a form of Autism
• Studies have found that mindfulness-based interventions can help minimize several struggles that those with autism may experience related to behaviors and mood regulation

Judson Brewer MD, Ph.D.

Psychiatrist and Chief, Division of Mindfulness

• Best known for his work with mindfulness and addictions
• Develops mindfulness techniques that help people stop smoking, overcome food cravings, and examine how mindfulness affects the brain
• In the future, he plans to study the effects of mindfulness delivered digitally

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