Increased Grey Matter Associated With Long-Term Sahaja Yoga Meditation: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study

Sergio Elías Hernández 1 , José Suero 2 , Alfonso Barros 3 , José Luis González-Mora 4 , Katya Rubia 5
Affiliations expand
PMID: 26938433 PMCID: PMC4777419 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0150757
Free PMC article

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate regional differences in grey matter volume associated with the practice of Sahaja Yoga Meditation.

Design: Twenty three experienced practitioners of Sahaja Yoga Meditation and twenty three non-meditators matched on age, gender and education level, were scanned using structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging and their grey matter volume were compared using Voxel-Based Morphometry.

Results: Grey matter volume was larger in meditators relative to non-meditators across the whole brain. In addition, grey matter volume was larger in several predominantly right hemispheric regions: in insula, ventromedial orbitofrontal cortex, inferior temporal and parietal cortices as well as in left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and left insula. No areas with larger grey matter volume were found in non-meditators relative to meditators.

Conclusions: The study shows that long-term practice of Sahaja Yoga Meditation is associated with larger grey matter volume overall, and with regional enlargement in several right hemispheric cortical and subcortical brain regions that are associated with sustained attention, self-control, compassion and interoceptive perception. The increased grey matter volume in these attention and self-control mediating regions suggests use-dependent enlargement with regular practice of this meditation.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Source: National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26938433/