Research
The Effect of Meditation on the Brain activity in Tibetan Meditators:
Frontal Lobes
The figure below was obtained during an ongoing study of the
neurophysiological correlates of meditation. Briefly, we have been
studying highly experienced Tibetan Buddhist meditators using a brain
imaging technology called single photon emission computed tomography
(SPECT). SPECT imaging allows us to image the brain and determine which
areas are active by measuring blood flow. The more blood flow an area
has, the more active it is. The image below shows the results from a
baseline scan on the left (i.e. at rest) and during a "peak" of
meditation shown on the right.
Two sets of images were taken, showing
slightly different parts of the brain. The first image (above) shows
that the front part of the brain, which is usually involved in focusing
attention and concentration, is more active during meditation. This
makes sense since meditation requires a high degree of concentration.
The
second image
shows that there is decreased activity in the parietal lobe. This area
of the brain is responsible for giving us a sense of our orientation in
space and time. We hypothesized that blocking all sensory and cognitive
input into this area during meditation results in the sense of no space
and no time which is so often described in meditation. A more complex
version of the model from which the hypothesis is based can be found in
the paper by Drs. d'Aquili and Newberg entitled, "Religious and
Mystical States: A Neuropsychological Substrate" (Zygon 28: 177-200,
1993).
The Effect of Meditation on the Brain activity in Tibetan Meditators:
Parietal Lobes
The figure below was obtained during an ongoing study of the
neurophysiological correlates of meditation. Briefly, we have been
studying highly experienced Tibetan Buddhist meditators using a brain
imaging technology called single photon emission computed tomography
(SPECT). SPECT imaging allows us to image the brain and determine which
areas are active by measuring blood flow. The more blood flow an area
has, the more active it is. The image below shows the results from a
baseline scan on the left (i.e. at rest) and during a "peak" of
meditation shown on the right.
Two sets of images were taken, showing slightly different parts of the brain. The
first image
shows that the front part of the brain, which is usually involved in
focusing attention and concentration, is more active during meditation.
This makes sense since meditation requires a high degree of
concentration. The second image (above) shows that there is decreased
activity in the parietal lobe. This area of the brain is responsible
for giving us a sense of our orientation in space and time. We
hypothesized that blocking all sensory and cognitive input into this
area during meditation results in the sense of no space and no time
which is so often described in meditation. A more complex version of
the model from which the hypothesis is based can be found in the paper
by Drs. d'Aquili and Newberg entitled, "Religious and Mystical States:
A Neuropsychological Substrate" (Zygon 28: 177-200, 1993).
