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Meditation attenuates Default-mode activity: a pilot study using ultra-high strength MRI

View ORCID ProfileSaampras Ganesan, View ORCID ProfileBradford Moffat, View ORCID ProfileNicholas T. Van Dam, View ORCID ProfileValentina Lorenzetti, View ORCID ProfileAndrew Zalesky
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.02.522524
Saampras Ganesan
aMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
bDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
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  • For correspondence: saamprasg@student.unimelb.edu.au
Bradford Moffat
cMelbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
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Nicholas T. Van Dam
eMelbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Valentina Lorenzetti
dNeuroscience of Addiction and Mental Health Program, Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre, School of Behavioral and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia
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Andrew Zalesky
aMelbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
bDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
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Abstract

Objectives Mapping the neurobiology of meditation using 3 Tesla functional MRI (fMRI) has burgeoned recently. However, limitations in signal quality and neuroanatomical resolution have impacted reliability and precision of extant findings. Although ultra-high strength 7 Tesla MRI overcomes these limitations, investigation of meditation using 7 Tesla fMRI is still in its infancy.

Methods In this feasibility study, we scanned 10 individuals who were beginner meditators using 7 Tesla fMRI while they performed focused attention meditation and non-focused rest. We also measured and adjusted the fMRI signal for key physiological differences between meditation and rest. Finally, we explored the 2-week impact of the single fMRI meditation session on mindfulness, anxiety and focused attention attributes.

Results Group-level task fMRI analyses revealed significant reductions in activity during meditation relative to rest in Default-mode network hubs, i.e., antero-medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices, precuneus, as well as visual and thalamic regions. These findings survived stringent statistical corrections for fluctuations in physiological responses which demonstrated significant differences (p < 0.05/n, Bonferroni controlled) between meditation and rest. Compared to baseline, State Mindfulness Scale (SMS) scores were significantly elevated (F = 8.16, p<0.05/n, Bonferroni controlled) following the fMRI meditation session, and were closely maintained at 2-week follow up.

Conclusions This pilot study establishes the feasibility and utility of investigating focused attention meditation using ultra-high strength (7 Tesla) fMRI, by supporting widespread evidence that focused attention meditation attenuates Default-mode activity responsible for self-referential processing. Future functional neuroimaging studies of meditation should control for physiological confounds and include behavioural assessments.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • ↵* Last author

  • Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no other declarations of competing interests.

  • Ethical standards The manuscript does not contain clinical studies or patient data.

  • Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. SG is supported by Australian Research Training Program (RTP) scholarship. AZ is supported by NHMRC Senior Research fellowship (APP1118153) and the Rebecca L. Cooper Fellowship. VL is supported by an AI and Val Rosenstrauss Senior Research Fellowship. NTVD is supported by the Contemplative Studies Centre, founded by a philanthropic gift from the Three Springs Foundation Pty Ltd.

  • Data availability Data can be shared upon reasonable request.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted January 03, 2023.
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Meditation attenuates Default-mode activity: a pilot study using ultra-high strength MRI
Saampras Ganesan, Bradford Moffat, Nicholas T. Van Dam, Valentina Lorenzetti, Andrew Zalesky
bioRxiv 2023.01.02.522524; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.02.522524
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Meditation attenuates Default-mode activity: a pilot study using ultra-high strength MRI
Saampras Ganesan, Bradford Moffat, Nicholas T. Van Dam, Valentina Lorenzetti, Andrew Zalesky
bioRxiv 2023.01.02.522524; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.01.02.522524

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