Study shows meditation may improve mindfulness and memory

By Staff Writer

A new study published in the journal Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging suggests that meditation can produce changes in the brain in regions that are associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. The researchers surveyed 16 individuals who participated in the eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness.

The study subjects spent an average of 27 minutes per day practicing mindfulness exercises, which focused on nonjudgmental awareness of sensations, feelings and state of mind. MR brain scans of the participants and a control group were taken at the beginning and end of the study.

The results of a mindfulness survey after the program revealed that the meditation group experienced significant reductions in stress and anxiety, compared with pre-participation responses. The MR scans showed increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus - which is important for learning and memory - and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection.

The authors concluded that mediation may be associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation as well as cognitive and psychological benefits.