Meditation may help prevent brain aging and improve brain function

A 2005 breakthrough study found that meditation increased the thickness of the brain's prefrontal cortex. Normally, as the brain ages the cortex thins and the brain shrinks. The prefrontal cortex is associated with attention, higher thought and planning. Researchers at Harvard Medical School in Boston took MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans of 20 experienced meditators and 15 non-meditators. During scanning the meditators did meditation while the non-meditators thought about whatever they wanted. The meditators practiced meditation for about six hours weekly for an average of nine years. The researchers found that meditators had thicker right anterior insula and prefrontal cortex brain regions than non-meditators of the same age. Furthermore, older meditators had more pronounced thickness in the brain's outer layer or cortex. This suggests that meditation practice may decrease age-related thinning of the brain. "Our initial results suggest that meditation may be associated with structural changes in areas of the brain that are important for sensory, cognitive and emotional processing," the study authors conclude. "The data further suggest that meditation may impact age-related declines in cortical structure." In 2011, UCLA researchers reported that meditators have stronger connections throughout the entire brain and less brain shrinkage. In 2012, the same UCLA team found that meditators have larger amounts of cerebral cortex folding called gyrification. Increased folding is associated with faster brain processing and memory formation. Researchers at UCLA analyzed MRI brain scans of 50 experienced meditators and 50 non-meditators. The meditators practiced various meditation types for an average of 20 years. The researchers found that meditators had increased gyrification across the cortex including the left and right anterior dorsal insula, compared to the non-meditators. There was a direct correlation between the amount of gyrification and the number of meditation years. "Moreover, given that meditators are masters in introspection, awareness, and emotional control, increased insular gyrification may reflect an integration of autonomic, affective, and cognitive processes," the study authors write.