Mindfulness Meditation Changes the Brain in Just 8 Weeks

Many people say meditation makes them feel more relaxed, peaceful, and focused, but does it do anything physically to the brain? Yes, say researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), who have documented changes in the brain’s gray matter after just 8 weeks of mindfulness meditation.

Mindfulness meditation changes brain structure

According to the study’s senior author, Sara Lazar, PhD, of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program, “This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvement and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing.”

In previous studies, including those by Lazar’s group, researchers have found structural differences and signaling changes in the brains of experienced meditation practitioners when compared with people who do not meditate. These studies, however, could not document that the changes were the result of meditation.

In a similar vein, a scientific team from the University of California, Davis, reported that the psychological changes associated with meditation are linked to the activity of an enzyme called telomerase. Their study was the first to show a relationship between positive effects of meditation and levels of telomerase. (MORE)

Source: eMaxHealth.com