title: Brain changes in long-term zen meditators using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy and diffusion tensor imaging: a controlled study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This work aimed to determine whether (1)H magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) are correlated with years of meditation and psychological variables in long-term Zen meditators compared to healthy non-meditator controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Design. Controlled, cross-sectional study. Sample. Meditators were recruited from a Zen Buddhist monastery. The control group was recruited from hospital staff. Meditators were administered questionnaires on anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment and mindfulness. (1)H-MRS (1.5 T) of the brain was carried out by exploring four areas: both thalami, both hippocampi, the posterior superior parietal lobule (PSPL) and posterior cingulate gyrus. Predefined areas of the brain were measured for diffusivity (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) by MR-DTI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Myo-inositol (mI) was increased in the posterior cingulate gyrus and Glutamate (Glu), N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) and N-acetyl-aspartate/Creatine (NAA/Cr) was reduced in the left thalamus in meditators. We found a significant positive correlation between mI in the posterior cingulate and years of meditation (r = 0.518; p = .019). We also found significant negative correlations between Glu (r = -0.452; p = .045), NAA (r = -0.617; p = .003) and NAA/Cr (r = -0.448; P = .047) in the left thalamus and years of meditation. Meditators showed a lower Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) in the left posterior parietal white matter than did controls, and the ADC was negatively correlated with years of meditation (r = -0.4850, p = .0066).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results are consistent with the view that mI, Glu and NAA are the most important altered metabolites. This study provides evidence of subtle abnormalities in neuronal function in regions of the white matter in meditators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Hospital Quirón, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Nicolás
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fayed
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lopez Del Hoyo
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Andres
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serrano-Blanco
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bellón
authors.forename: Keyla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aguilar
authors.forename: Ausias
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cebolla
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia-Campayo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D056324:Diffusion Tensor Imaging; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged
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