Meditation Boosts Brain Function

Previously, studies have shown that mental training, based on the traditional Chinese medicine form, of meditation known as integrative body-mind training (IBMT), improves regulation of emotions and behavior by raising the activity of the anterior cingulate cortex region of the brain.  Yi-Yuan Tang, from Dalian University of Technology (China), and colleagues studied 45 university students, who were randomly assigned to either engage in integrative body-mind training (IBMT) or relaxation training (control group).   A comparison of scans taken of the students’ brains before and after the training showed that those in the IBMT group had increased brain connectivity.  The boost in brain connectivity, which was strongest in connections involving the anterior cingulate, began after six hours of IBMT and became more prevalent after 11 hours of practice. The researchers conclude that: “[Integrative body-mind training] could provide a means for improving self-regulation and perhaps reducing or preventing various mental disorders.”