Neural correlates of meditation-induced changes in self-related traits: a resting state fMRI study.

Objectives: Meditation training can influence various self-related traits, such as self-judgment (SJ), self-kindness (SK), rumination (RUM) and reflection (REF), but little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. This study aimed to elucidate the neural correlates of Method: Secondary data analyses were conducted on pre- and post-intervention questionnaires and resting state fMRI data collected in a prior mechanistic neuroimaging Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) that compared 8 weeks of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR, n=39) to an active control program of Stress Management Education (SME) (n=25) among healthy adults. Voxelwise Amplitudes of Low Frequency Fluctuations (ALFF) were calculated from resting state fMRI as a measurement of magnitudes of spontaneous brain activity. Results: Linear mixed effects model analyses found no significant group by time interaction effects with any of the outcome measures. The MBSR group had significant improvements in all four trait measures, whereas the control group only had significant improvements in SJ and SK ( Conclusions: These findings suggest that meditation training can influence self-related traits through adaptive changes in brain regions involved in executive functioning (DLPFC) and empathy (TPJ). Preregistration: The original RCT was registered as NCT01488422 at ClinicalTrials.gov, accessible at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01488422.