This post summarizes a research study that looked at the effect of mindfulness and yoga on brain structure. The researchers found significant increases in brain matter concentration in participants who completed an 8 week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course. Read on to learn more about the study, why brain matter concentration matters and the body of evidence that points to a correlation between practicing mindfulness and improving brain function.
The practices of mindfulness and yoga have become increasingly popular over the years, and the advent of digital offerings has made access to these practices easier than ever before. There is much written about the benefits that can be derived from a regular practice, including feeling a reduction in symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduced stress and an improved overall sense of well-being. The question researchers have been asking more recently is, can mindfulness change brain structure? One remarkable feature of the nervous system is called neural plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to re-wire and regenerate over time, particularly in response to training. There have been many studies looking at how mindfulness affects brain structure, and today I present a summary of a study called “Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density” (full citation at the end of the post).
The researchers in this study used MRI scans taken before and after participants completed an 8 week course of the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program to evaluate changes in gray matter (brain tissue) concentration. MBSR was established by well-known authority on mindfulness, Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, and includes body scan, mindful yoga and sitting meditation. You may be thinking, why are changes in gray matter concentration important? Research has shown that an increase in gray matter corresponds with improved function in that part of the brain. Previous studies have shown there to be an increase in gray matter after repeated activation of the brain through task training. The authors of this study were looking to see if practicing mindfulness meditation via MBSR could evoke a similar change.
The MRI scans of the participants in the MBSR program did, in fact, show increased concentration in gray matter in several areas of the brain, namely the left hippocampus, the cerebellum, the posterior cingulate cortex and the tempo-parietal junction. These areas play key roles in the functions of learning & memory, emotion regulation, self-referential processing and perspective taking. By comparing these scans to those of healthy controls, whose scans did not show a change, the authors of this study concluded that participation in the MBSR program correlates with changes in gray matter density in certain areas of the brain.
So what is the take home message? Studies such as the one outlined above are shedding light on how our brains react and change while practicing mindfulness meditation and yoga. The brain has the unique ability to grow and re-wire, and there is an ever-increasing body of evidence showing that the practices of mindfulness and yoga can contribute to this growth. We are particularly interested in how these practices can impact those living with brain injury or neurodegenerative disease, so it was enlightening to learn that some areas of the brain that are key to cognitive-linguistic functions such as learning and memory have been shown to respond to mindfulness and yoga. As SLPs, Katherine and I value evidenced-based practice, and studies such as this one help support the efficacy of using mindfulness in our program for brain injury wellness.
If you’d like to learn more about how these practices might help you, please contact us.
Citation for article summarized: Holzel, B., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry Res, 191(1), 36-43.