The Effects of Mindfulness and Meditation on the Cingulate Cortex in the Healthy Human Brain: A Review

Objectives Neuroimaging-based research has revealed varying effects of meditation/mindfulness in sections of the cingulate cortex. However, a formal review of this literature is currently missing. Methods PubMed and APA PsycINFO databases were searched to identify studies based on functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI), structural MRI (sMRI), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) that reported effects (or explicitly stated null effects) of meditation/mindfulness in the cingulate. Results Of the 49 studies published over the last two decades, the majority were cross-sectional in nature (69%) and employed fMRI (61%). Most studies reported significant effects in the anterior cingulate cortex (55%), followed by the posterior cingulate cortex (49%) and the midcingulate cortex (20%). However, the nature of findings was extremely heterogeneous across studies, possibly due to a substantial variability in terms of study designs, sample sizes, demographics, meditation styles, cingulate subdivisions, and nomenclatures, just to name a few. Conclusions Altogether, the outcomes of this review suggest a multifaceted role of the cingulate for processes related to long-term meditation practices, short-term meditation trainings, as well as trait mindfulness.

Automated summary

Research on the effects of meditation/mindfulness in different sections of the cingulate cortex is diverse, with significant findings mainly in the anterior cingulate cortex. Variances in study designs, sample sizes, demographics, meditation styles, and cingulate subdivisions contribute to the heterogeneous nature of the results.