Practicing "mindfulness meditation", also called "integrative body-mind training", that involves periods of intense focus and concentration is not just relaxing; it actually causes positive changes in the brain.
The study in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was based on 68 students in China who were randomly assigned to either a meditation or a relaxation-training group.
None of the students had any experience with meditation. Using diffusion tensor imaging, a kind of MRI technique, the researchers assessed changes in the structure of the brain.
There were substantial changes in the white matter of the brain involving the anterior cingulate cortex, a part of the brain network related to self-regulation.
Many mental disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder involve the anterior cingulate cortex.
A better understanding of the white matter in the brain "could provide a means for intervention to improve or prevent mental disorders".
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