Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University Chieti, Italy ; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, "G. d'Annunzio" University Chieti, Italy.
Department of Psychology, Sapienza University Rome, Italy.
Front Hum Neurosci. 2014 Oct 15;8:832. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00832. eCollection 2014.
According to several conceptualizations of meditation, the interplay between brain systems associated to self-related processing, attention and executive control is crucial for meditative states and related traits. We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate such interplay in a highly selected group of "virtuoso" meditators (Theravada Buddhist monks), with long-term training in the two main meditation styles: focused attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM) meditation. Specifically, we investigated the differences between FA meditation, OM meditation and resting state in the coupling between the posterior cingulate cortex, core node of the Default Mode Network (DMN) implicated in mind wandering and self-related processing, and the whole brain, with a recently developed phase coherence approach. Our findings showed a state dependent coupling of posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to nodes of the DMN and of the executive control brain network in the alpha frequency band (8-12 Hz), related to different attentional and cognitive control processes in FA and OM meditation, consistently with the putative role of alpha band synchronization in the functional mechanisms for attention and consciousness. The coupling of PCC with left medial prefrontal cortex (lmPFC) and superior frontal gyrus characterized the contrast between the two meditation styles in a way that correlated with meditation expertise. These correlations may be related to a higher mindful observing ability and a reduced identification with ongoing mental activity in more expert meditators. Notably, different styles of meditation and different meditation expertise appeared to modulate the dynamic balance between fronto-parietal (FP) and DMN networks. Our results support the idea that the interplay between the DMN and the FP network in the alpha band is crucial for the transition from resting state to different meditative states.
根据冥想的几种概念化，与自我相关处理、注意力和执行控制相关的大脑系统之间的相互作用对于冥想状态和相关特征至关重要。我们使用脑磁图（MEG）在一组高度选择的“艺术大师”冥想者（上座部佛教僧侣）中研究了这种相互作用，他们长期接受两种主要的冥想方式：专注注意力（FA）和开放监控（OM）冥想。具体来说，我们研究了 FA 冥想、OM 冥想和静息状态之间的差异，在后扣带回（默认模式网络（DMN）的核心节点，与思维漫游和自我相关处理有关）与整个大脑之间的耦合，使用了最近开发的相位相干方法。我们的研究结果表明，在后扣带回（PCC）与 DMN 节点和执行控制大脑网络的耦合在 alpha 频带（8-12 Hz）中是状态依赖的，这与 FA 和 OM 冥想中的不同注意力和认知控制过程有关，与 alpha 频带同步在注意力和意识的功能机制中的作用一致。PCC 与左侧内侧前额叶（lmPFC）和额上回的耦合以与冥想专业知识相关的方式来区分两种冥想方式的对比。这些相关性可能与更高的正念观察能力和在更有经验的冥想者中减少对正在进行的心理活动的认同有关。值得注意的是，不同的冥想方式和不同的冥想专业知识似乎调节了额顶（FP）和 DMN 网络之间的动态平衡。我们的研究结果支持这样一种观点，即 alpha 频带中 DMN 和 FP 网络之间的相互作用对于从静息状态到不同冥想状态的转变至关重要。
