Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Explore (NY). 2013 May-Jun;9(3):136-41. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2013.02.005.
Human attention selectively focuses on aspects of experience that are threatening, pleasant, or novel. The physical threats of the ancient times have largely been replaced by chronic psychological worries and hurts. The mind gets drawn to these worries and hurts, mostly in the domain of the past and future, leading to mind wandering. In the brain, a network of neurons called the default mode network has been associated with mind wandering. Abnormal activity in the default mode network may predispose to depression, anxiety, attention deficit, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Several studies show that meditation can reverse some of these abnormalities, producing salutary functional and structural changes in the brain. This narrative review presents a mechanistic understanding of meditation in the context of recent advances in neurosciences about mind wandering, attention, and the brain networks.
人类的注意力会选择性地集中在那些具有威胁性、令人愉快或新颖的体验上。古代的身体威胁在很大程度上已经被慢性心理担忧和伤害所取代。人们的思绪会被这些担忧和伤害所吸引，主要是在过去和未来的领域，从而导致思维漫游。在大脑中，一个被称为默认模式网络的神经元网络与思维漫游有关。默认模式网络的异常活动可能导致抑郁、焦虑、注意力缺陷和创伤后应激障碍。几项研究表明，冥想可以逆转其中的一些异常，从而对大脑的功能和结构产生有益的变化。本综述性文章在关于思维漫游、注意力和大脑网络的神经科学最新进展的背景下，提出了对冥想的机制理解。
