Abstract
There has been a growing interest in understanding how contemplative practices affect brain functional organization. However, most studies have restricted their exploration to predefined networks. Furthermore, scientific comparisons of different contemplative traditions are largely lacking. Here we explored differences in whole brain resting state functional connectivity between experienced yoga practitioners, experienced meditators, and matched controls. Analyses were repeated in an independent sample of experienced meditators and matched controls. Analyses utilizing Network-Based Statistics (Zalesky et al., 2010) revealed difference components for yoga practitioners > controls and meditators > controls in which the right caudate was a central node. Follow up analyses revealed that yoga practitioners and meditators had significantly greater degree centrality in the caudate than controls. This greater degree centrality was not driven by single connections but by greater connectivity between the caudate and numerous brain regions. Findings of greater caudate connectivity in meditators than in controls was replicated in an independent dataset. These findings suggest that yoga and meditation practitioners have stronger functional connectivity within basal ganglia cortico-thalamic feedback loops than non-practitioners. Although we could not provide evidence for its mechanistic role, this greater connectivity might be related to the often reported effects of meditation and yoga on behavioral flexibility, mental health, and well-being.
Highlights
IntroductionKilpatrick et al, 2011; Taylor et al, 2012)
There is a growing interest in the neural correlates of meditation practice
We have demonstrated in two independent datasets that yoga practitioners and meditators have greater degree centrality in the caudate than matched controls
Summary
Kilpatrick et al, 2011; Taylor et al, 2012) These studies have provided first insights in how meditation affects functional brain connectivity at rest. Recent models of the brain as a complex network has furthered the understanding of its resting state and provided robust methods to compare its properties amongst subjects based on graph theory. These methods refrain from comparing the fMRI signal at every voxel, thereby increasing the statistical power of group comparisons. This approach is useful for studying the brain resting state between groups of healthy subjects, for which differences may be subtle
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