Eight-week mindfulness meditation p

Eight-week mindfulness meditation program makes vast changes in the brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy, and reduces stress. In a study that will appear in the Jan. 30 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, a team led by Harvard-affiliated researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reported the results of their study, the first to document meditation-produced changes over time in the brain’s gray matter.

“Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day,” says study senior author Sara Lazar of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and a Harvard Medical School instructor in psychology. “This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing.”

Previous studies from Lazar’s group and others found structural differences between the brains of experienced meditation practitioners and individuals with no history of meditation, observing thickening of the cerebral cortex in areas associated with attention and emotional integration. But those investigations could not document that those differences were actually produced by meditation.

For the current study, magnetic resonance (MR) images were taken of the brain structure of 16 study participants two weeks before and after they took part in the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Program at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness. In addition to weekly meetings that included practice of mindfulness meditation — which focuses on nonjudgmental awareness of sensations, feelings, and state of mind — participants received audio recordings for guided meditation practice and were asked to keep track of how much time they practiced each day. A set of MR brain images was also taken of a control group of non-meditators over a similar time interval.

Meditation group participants reported spending an average of 27 minutes each day practicing mindfulness exercises, and their responses to a mindfulness questionnaire indicated significant improvements compared with pre-participation responses. The analysis of MR images, which focused on areas where meditation-associated differences were seen in earlier studies, found increased gray-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.

Participant-reported reductions in stress also were correlated with decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in anxiety and stress. Although no change was seen in a self-awareness-associated structure called the insula, which had been identified in earlier studies, the authors suggest that longer-term meditation practice might be needed to produce changes in that area. None of these changes were seen in the control group, indicating that they had not resulted merely from the passage of time.

“It is fascinating to see the brain’s plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life,” says Britta Hölzel, first author of the paper and a research fellow at MGH and Giessen University in Germany. “Other studies in different patient populations have shown that meditation can make significant improvements in a variety of symptoms, and we are now investigating the underlying mechanisms in the brain that facilitate this change.”

Amishi Jha, a University of Miami neuroscientist who investigates mindfulness-training’s effects on individuals in high-stress situations, says, “These results shed light on the mechanisms of action of mindfulness-based training. They demonstrate that the first-person experience of stress can not only be reduced with an eight-week mindfulness training program but that this experiential change corresponds with structural changes in the amygdala, a finding that opens doors to many possibilities for further research on MBSR’s potential to protect against stress-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.”

結果 (繁體中文) 1:

為期八周的沉思冥想專案相關的腦部區域與記憶，自我感覺，換位思考，使巨大的變化，減輕壓力。在一項研究，將出現在 1 月 30 日的精神病學研究問題: 神經影像學，由哈佛大學附屬醫院的研究人員在美國麻塞諸塞州總醫院 (MGH) 領導的小組報告說他們的研究，第一段時間內，大腦灰質文檔冥想產生變化的結果。"的冥想練習雖與平靜和身體放鬆的感覺，但是醫生還聲稱冥想也提供了認知和心理的好處，持續一整天，"研究高級作者，麻省總醫院精神科影像學研究計畫和在心理學中的哈佛醫學院講師薩拉拉紮爾說。"這項研究顯示大腦結構的變化可能會形成一些這些報告的改進並且，人們不感覺更好因為他們花時間放鬆。拉紮爾的組和其他使用者從以前的研究發現大腦中經驗豐富的默想和個人與沒有歷史的沉思，觀察與關注和情感融合相關的區域在大腦皮質增厚的結構性差異。但是這些調查不能證明這些差異由冥想。當前的研究中，磁共振 (MR) 照片是 16 研究參與者的大腦結構兩個星期之前和之後他們參加了為期八周基於正念減壓 (MBSR) 方案麻塞諸塞大學中心的正念。除了每週的會議，其中包括正念禪修 — — 側重于客觀認識的感覺、 感覺和心態 — — 參與者收到錄音引導冥想練習，並被要求來跟蹤他們練習每一天多少時間。一套 MR 腦圖像，也被非冥想者對照組在相同的時間間隔進行研究。冥想組參與者報導開支平均 27 分鐘練習正念練習，每一天都和他們正念調查問卷的答覆表明相比前參與反應的顯著改善。MR 圖像，側重的領域冥想關聯差異見於早期的研究，發現灰質密度的增加，在海馬，已知是重要的學習和記憶、 和結構的分析與自我意識、 慈悲和反思。應力的參與者報告減少還與杏仁核，這眾所周知的焦慮和壓力中發揮重要作用的灰質密度降低相關。雖然沒有改變看見被自我自覺相關聯的結構，稱為島，已確定在早期的研究中，作者認為可能需要長期的冥想練習，以產生在這一領域的變化。這些變化沒有出現于對照組，說明不了只是從時間的流逝。它是有趣地看到大腦的可塑性，通過練習冥想，我們可以有改變大腦，具有積極的作用，我們可以提高我們的福祉和生活品質，"說:"布瑞塔 Hölzel，第一作者的論文和麻省總醫院和德國吉森大學的研究員。"其他研究在不同的患者人群中有顯示冥想可以顯著改善的各種症狀，和我們現在正在調查在大腦機制，促進這種變化。Amishi Jha, a University of Miami neuroscientist who investigates mindfulness-training’s effects on individuals in high-stress situations, says, “These results shed light on the mechanisms of action of mindfulness-based training. They demonstrate that the first-person experience of stress can not only be reduced with an eight-week mindfulness training program but that this experiential change corresponds with structural changes in the amygdala, a finding that opens doors to many possibilities for further research on MBSR’s potential to protect against stress-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.”

結果 (繁體中文) 2:

八週正念程序作出的關於記憶，自我，同情感相關的大腦區域巨大變化，並減輕壓力。在將出現在1月30日發行精神病學研究的一項研究：神經影像學，馬薩諸塞州總醫院（MGH）為首的哈佛大學附屬的研究團隊報告了他們的研究成果，首次記錄了一段時間冥想生產變化在大腦中的灰質。“雖然禪修與安寧和身體放鬆的感覺有關，從業者早已宣稱冥想還規定，堅持整個白天的認知和心理上的好處，說：”研究的資深作者薩拉·拉扎爾麻省總醫院精神科神經影像學研究計劃和心理學哈佛醫學院講師。“這項研究表明，改變大腦結構可依據其中的一些報導的改進和人們不只是感覺更好，因為他們花費的時間放鬆。” 先前的研究從拉扎爾的組和其他人發現經驗豐富的冥想練習者的大腦之間的結構性差異與冥想沒有歷史個人，觀察大腦皮層增厚的注意力和情感整合相關領域。但是，這些調查不能反映這些差異是由冥想實際生產，對於目前的研究中，磁共振（MR）影像拍攝的16研究參與者前兩週的大腦結構和後，他們在八週正念參加基於應力減少（MBSR）計劃在美國馬薩諸塞州中心大學的正念。除了 ​​每週一次的會議，其中包括冥想練習-其重點是感覺，感情的非主觀意識，精神狀態-參與者接收到的音頻錄音為引導冥想練習，並要求以跟踪他們的每一天有多少時間練習。一組腦部MR圖像也採取了非禪修對照組過一個類似的時間間隔。冥想組報導的參與者花費平均每天27分鐘練習正念練習，他們的反應，一個正念問卷調查表明顯著的改善相比，預參與反應。MR圖像的分析，其重點在哪裡冥想相關的差異主要出現在早期的研究領域，發現增加灰質密度海馬，已知對學習和記憶的重要，並與自我意識，同情心相關的結構和自省。參與者報告的減少應力也均與在杏仁核，這是眾所周知的在焦慮和壓力發揮重要的作用下降灰質密度。雖然未見變化的自我意識相關的結構稱為島，它曾在早期的研究已經確定，筆者認為，長期冥想練習可能需要產生變化在這一領域。所有這些變化主要出現在對照組，這表明他們已經不只是從時間的推移造成的。“這是迷人的，看看大腦的可塑性，而且，通過練習冥想，我們可以改變大腦中發揮積極作用並能增加我們的幸福感和生活質量，“布麗塔Hölzel，該論文的第一作者和研究員和麻省總醫院吉森大學在德國說。“在不同的患者人群的其他研究表明，冥想可以在各種症狀進行顯著的改善，而我們現在正在研究在大腦中促進這種變化的基本機制。” 桑傑·賈Amishi，邁阿密大學的神經學家誰調查mindfulness-在高壓力的情況下的個人訓練的效果，說：“這些結果揭示的正念為基礎的培訓作用機制光。他們證明了應力的第一人稱體驗，不僅可以減少用八週的正念訓練計劃，但是這個體驗的變化對應的杏仁核結構變化，這一發現打開大門，許多可能性進一步研究MBSR的潛力以防止壓力有關的疾病，如創傷後應激障礙。“

結果 (繁體中文) 3:

八周方案使心不亂打坐很大的改變,腦部的相關地區的記憶,自我感覺,同情,降低了強調。 在一份研究報告,將會出現問題,在30日,一個精神病學研究:neuroimaging率領由哈佛-研究員在馬薩諸塞綜合醫院(MGH)報告說,他們的研究結果,第一,文件默念一分鐘-產生變化隨著時間的推移,腦的灰色 問題.

"雖然 這種做法的禪修與某種意義上的安寧和物理放寬,執業者長期聲稱,默念一分鐘還提供認知和心理好處,堅持在整個一天,他說:“說研究的資深作者薩拉拉扎爾MGH精神病neuroimaging研究方案和哈佛醫學院在心理學講師。 他說:「這項研究表明,在腦部結構變化可能造成一些改善這些報道,人民不僅僅因為它們花費時間感覺更好地 放寬."