title: Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state.
abstract: Mindfulness meditation has been shown to promote emotional stability. Moreover, during the processing of aversive and self-referential stimuli, mindful awareness is associated with reduced medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) activity, a central default mode network (DMN) component. However, it remains unclear whether mindfulness practice influences functional connectivity between DMN regions and, if so, whether such impact persists beyond a state of meditation. Consequently, this study examined the effect of extensive mindfulness training on functional connectivity within the DMN during a restful state. Resting-state data were collected from 13 experienced meditators (with over 1000 h of training) and 11 beginner meditators (with no prior experience, trained for 1 week before the study) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Pairwise correlations and partial correlations were computed between DMN seed regions' time courses and were compared between groups utilizing a Bayesian sampling scheme. Relative to beginners, experienced meditators had weaker functional connectivity between DMN regions involved in self-referential processing and emotional appraisal. In addition, experienced meditators had increased connectivity between certain DMN regions (e.g. dorso-medial PFC and right inferior parietal lobule), compared to beginner meditators. These findings suggest that meditation training leads to functional connectivity changes between core DMN regions possibly reflecting strengthened present-moment awareness.
authors.affiliation: Département de Psychologie, Centre de Recherche en Neuropsychologie et Cognition, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Véronique A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Daneault
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scavone
authors.forename: Estelle
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Breton
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Roffe-Vidal
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Courtemanche
authors.forename: Anaïs S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Lavarenne
authors.forename: Guillaume
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marrelec
authors.forename: Habib
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Benali
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beauregard
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D012649:Self Concept