The Science of Meditation!
21st June 2024
It’s International Yoga Day! So today we’re taking a look at the science behind this widely practiced art, and how meditating changes your brain chemistry to bring about inner peace!
There are many different ways to define meditation, but the most important aspects are the senses of calm, wellness, peace, and introspection that come with. Research suggests that these effects are not just psychological, and that meditation may in fact alter our brain chemistry and structure!
These changes may be instigated by epigenetic effects, as studies have shown that mindfulness meditation triggers differential transcription of genes involved in DNA damage responses, oxidative stress, and inflammatory metabolism pathways.
For example, NF-κB is a transcription factor involved in mediation of NLRP3 (NOD-like receptor protein 3) inflammatory pathways, and its expression is reduced in yoga and meditation practitioners.
Depressive symptoms can also be reduced through this practice, and genetic variation in acetylcholine and opioid receptor genes have been demonstrated to modulate the strength of this effect [1].
There is a relationship between structural brain changes and behaviours, and it has been shown that the emotional pathways in the brain can undergo long-term changes thanks to meditation.
The frontal and temporal regions of the brain have been observed to have greater cortical thickness in mindfulness meditation practitioners. These are the regions of the brain associated with attention, interoception, and sensory processing. This effect is most pronounced in older practitioners, which may suggest yoga and meditation can help reduce age-related cortical thinning and cognition loss [2]!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief exploration of why yoga and meditation can be beneficial to your mental wellbeing, so until next time: namaste!
At Alto Marketing, we take the stress out of promoting your products and services! The latest innovations in science and healthcare are our speciality, so contact us to see how we can help you.
Follow us on LinkedIn for more in this series: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alto-marketing/
References:
- Gu, Y. and Zhu, Y. 2022. Underlying mechanisms of mindfulness meditation: Genomics, circuits, and networks. World Journal of Psychiatry, 12(9), 1141-1149
- An, S. C., Choi, C., Jang, J. H., et al. 2013. The effect of meditation on brain structure: cortical thickness mapping and diffusion tensor imaging. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 8(1), 27-33
