ArticleNeural plasticity2020
Brief Mindfulness Meditation Induces Gray Matter Changes in a Brain Hub.
Article in Neural plasticity, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mindfulness Practice and Increases in Gray Matter Density, Gray Matter Volume, and Cortical Thickness: A Scoping Review.Brain sciences · 2026Review
- Neuroimaging and consciousness: applications of PET, SPECT, and advanced MRI modalities.American journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging · 2026Review
- Gray and White Matter Networks Predict Mindfulness and Mind Wandering Traits: A Data Fusion Machine Learning Approach.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Dry eye disease and psychosomatics-benefits of mind-body therapy for dry eye disease.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Review
- Discussion on the Application of Mindfulness Therapy in the Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Narrative Review.Psychology research and behavior management · 2025Review
- Mindfulness in the Medical Learning Environment: An Opportunity for the Struggling Learner?Medical science educator · 2024Article
- Neurobiological Changes Induced by Mindfulness and Meditation: A Systematic Review.Biomedicines · 2024Review
- Changes in Trait Mindfulness after a Brief Mindfulness Training Program of Self-Breathing.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The Clinical Efficacy of Different Relaxation Exercises on Intraocular Pressure Reduction: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Sporting Mind: The Interplay of Physical Activity and Psychological Health.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Effects of web-based mindfulness training on psychological outcomes, attention, and neuroplasticity.Scientific reports · 2023Article
- The relationship between trait mindfulness and inclusive education attitudes of primary school teachers: a multiple mediating model.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Article
- Integrated Neuroregenerative Techniques for Plasticity of the Injured Spinal Cord.Biomedicines · 2022Article
- Effortless training of attention and self-control: mechanisms and applications.Trends in cognitive sciences · 2022Review
- Meditation-induced effects on whole-brain structural and effective connectivity.Brain structure & function · 2022Article
- Enhanced Resting-State Functional Connectivity With Decreased Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations of the Salience Network in Mindfulness Novices.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2022Article
- Article
- Mindfulness and Other Simple Neuroscience-Based Proposals to Promote the Learning Performance and Mental Health of Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.Brain sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that the practice of long-term (months to years) mindfulness meditation induces structural plasticity in gray matter. However, it remains unknown whether short-term (<30 days) mindfulness meditation in novices could induce similar structural changes. Our previous randomized controlled trials (RCTs) identified white matter changes surrounding the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) within 2 to 4 weeks, following 5-10 h of mindfulness training. Furthermore, these changes were correlated with emotional states in healthy adults. The PCC is a key hub in the functional anatomy implicated in meditation and other perspectival processes. In this longitudinal study using a randomized design, we therefore examined the effect of a 10 h of mindfulness training, the Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) on gray matter volume of the PCC compared to an active control-relaxation training (RT). We found that brief IBMT increased ventral PCC volume and that baseline temperamental trait-an index of individual differences was associated with a reduction in training-induced gray matter increases. Our findings indicate that brief mindfulness meditation induces gray matter plasticity, suggesting that structural changes in ventral PCC-a key hub associated with self-awareness, emotion, cognition, and aging-may have important implications for protecting against mood-related disorders and aging-related cognitive declines.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.