Body-scan meditation produces distinct patterns visible in fMRI brain imaging.
the verdict
SUPPORTED
the evidence backs this
confidence 94/100
Multiple functional neuroimaging studies demonstrate that mindfulness and body-scan related meditations produce distinct, measurable patterns of brain activity and cortical recruitment.
Evidence for · 3
Attending to the present: mindfulness meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference
2007 · cited by 1,308
Utilizes functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to reveal distinct neural activation patterns during present-moment mindfulness awareness.
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More for · 2
Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention
2012 · cited by 568
Demonstrates via fMRI that mindfulness and interoceptive attention training modulate task-specific cortical recruitment and insula activity.
Investigation of mindfulness meditation practitioners with voxel-based morphometry
2007 · cited by 544
Shows using MRI brain imaging that mindfulness practice is associated with structural differences in regions like the insula that are activated during meditation.