Long-Term Meditation Produces Neural Growth in the Brain Stem (www.drdavidhamilton.com)

If you’ve read some of my previous articles and books, you’ll be familiar with the fact that meditation leads to neural growth in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

Now, a January 2009 study by scientists at the Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience at Aarhus University in Denmark, has found structural changes in the lower brain stem due to meditation.

Using MRI scans, they detected higher gray matter density in the lower brain stem of experienced meditators compared with a control group of similar ages who were not meditators.

This area is involved in cardiovascular system control and respiratory system control.

This may give long-term meditators more control over their heart rhythms and respiration, as well as influence over their immune system, and may even have effects on alertness and sleep quality. Indeed, these are areas that meditation has been scientifically shown to affect.

 

 

This article is Copyright © 2009 by David R. Hamilton Ph.D.
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