Meditation awakens the brain

Incredibly rare recordings of the brain activity of highly experienced Buddhist monks became possible thanks to the key contribution of Laura Marzetti, head of the Laboratory of Magnetoencephalography (MAG) at the University of Gabriele d’Annunzio in Chieti Pescara, and Antonino Raffone, professor of psychology at Sapienza University in Rome.

To decipher the subtle mechanisms of the meditative state, the authors focused on twelve monks of the Thai forest tradition from the Santachittarama monastery, located near Rome. Each of them devoted an average of more than fifteen thousand hours to meditation practice, which provided a unique depth for analysis.

At the MEG laboratory in Chieti Pescara, Abruzzo region, the monks’ brains were scanned during their meditation. At the same time, two key techniques were studied:

• Samatha is a method of concentrated attention, when a person concentrates on a specific subject (for example, on his own breathing) in order to stabilize the mind and achieve the deepest state of peace.
• Vipassana is a technique of open observation that involves conscious perception of the present moment (sensations, thoughts, emotions) without any selection or judgment, in order to comprehend the true nature of the mind.
  “In the practice of Samatha, you narrow your field of attention, it’s like focusing a flashlight beam; with Vipassana, on the contrary, you expand this beam,” explained Gerbi figuratively. He also added: “Both practices actively use attention mechanisms. Although Vipassana may be more challenging for beginners, the two methods often alternate in mindfulness programs.”

In their scientific work, Gerbi and his co-authors found that both types of meditation cause significant changes in the dynamics of brain processes, but they do not do it in the same way, especially in the context of so-called criticality.

This concept, borrowed from statistical physics and applied in neuroscience for two decades, stands for the optimal balance between order and chaos. It is often described as the “golden mean” for the most efficient functioning of the brain.

“A brain that lacks flexibility does not adapt well, while an excess of chaos can lead to disruptions, such as in epilepsy,” Gerbi said. “At a critical point, neural networks are stable enough to reliably transmit information, and at the same time flexible enough to quickly adapt to new circumstances. This balance optimizes the brain’s processing, memorizing, and reacting abilities.”

In other words, the closer the brain gets to the critical state, the more effectively, flexibly, and responsively it is able to act. This in turn increases abilities such as switching between tasks and storing information.

Of the two types of meditation studied, Vipassana brings the practitioner closer to this critical point, while Samatha creates a more stable and focused state.

According to Gerbi, the beneficial effects of meditation are not limited to the time spent in the practice itself. It is for this reason that meditation—based interventions for conditions such as anxiety, stress, and depression are gaining in popularity.

For example, in cases of depression, increased brain plasticity can help reduce the activity of neural connections associated with obsessive thinking or “walking thoughts in circles.” The ability to purposefully manage one’s attention also contributes to better emotional self-regulation, which is a central mechanism of psychological health.

“Since meditation is an active state involving attention processes, it affects several aspects of brain functions, which leads to improved well-being and reduced stress, as well as symptoms of anxiety and depression,” concluded Gerbi.

It seems that in order to experience the benefits of meditation, it is not necessary to be a master with fifteen thousand hours of practice, although “the beginner’s brain does not immediately reach the states that are observed in an expert,” admits Gerbi. “And just like in sports or hypnosis, motivation and individual predisposition play a primary role.”

Magnetoencephalography was used to study the meditating brains of monks. This neuroimaging technology measures the magnetic fields created by the electrical activity of neurons.

This non-invasive approach allows you to track brain activity in real time with outstanding spatial and temporal accuracy.

MEG scanners are highly specialized devices that can be found only in a few university centers around the world, including the University of Montreal. They are particularly well suited for studying meditation, as they are able to track the smallest nuances of brain dynamics in meditative states with unprecedented care.

The scientific team also used machine learning algorithms to analyze the data — not to determine the state of each brain (which was already known), but to distinguish between brain activity during Samatha, Vipassana and rest.

“This unique combination,” said Gerbi, “has allowed us to document with unprecedented precision what is happening in the meditating brain and shed new light on a thousand—year—old tradition.”