Functional neuroanatomy of meditation: A review and meta-analysis of 78 functional neuroimaging investigations

TL;DR

This meta-analysis of 78 neuroimaging studies reveals distinct brain activation patterns for different meditation styles, highlighting both common and unique neural correlates aligned with their psychological aims.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive neuroanatomical map of various meditation practices, demonstrating their dissociable neural signatures and addressing methodological issues in current research.

Findings

Distinct activation patterns for four meditation styles

Common recruitment of insula and cingulate cortex across techniques

Medium effect sizes for brain activations and deactivations

Abstract

Meditation is a family of mental practices that encompasses a wide array of techniques employing distinctive mental strategies. We systematically reviewed 78 functional neuroimaging (fMRI and PET) studies of meditation, and used activation likelihood estimation to meta-analyze 257 peak foci from 31 experiments involving 527 participants. We found reliably dissociable patterns of brain activation and deactivation for four common styles of meditation (focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and compassion/loving-kindness), and suggestive differences for three others (visualization, sense-withdrawal, and non-dual awareness practices). Overall, dissociable activation patterns are congruent with the psychological and behavioral aims of each practice. Some brain areas are recruited consistently across multiple techniques - including insula, pre/supplementary motor cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and frontopolar cortex - but convergence is the exception rather than the rule. A preliminary effect-size meta-analysis found medium effects for both activations (d = .59) and deactivations (d = -.74), suggesting potential practical significance. Our meta-analysis supports the neurophysiological dissociability of meditation practices, but also raises many methodological concerns and suggests avenues for future research.