Abstract #4766

Effect of Meditation on Brain Function During an Attention Task Using ASL and BOLD fMRI

Yakun Zhang¹, Shichun Chen¹, Zongpai Zhang¹, Wenna Duan¹, Li Zhao², George Weinschenk¹, Wen-Ming Luh³, Adam Anderson⁴, and Weiying Dai¹

¹Department of Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY, United States, ²College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, ³National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States, ⁴Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States

Synopsis

The effect of meditation on brain functional activation when engaged in an attention task was evaluated longitudinally using dASL and BOLD fMRI in nine healthy subjects. Functional activation before and after meditation practice was compared and the change of functional activation was correlated with practice time. Using dASL, functional activation in the occipital region was significantly reduced; more practice time was associated with more reduced activation in the mediofrontal, temporal, and precuneus regions. Using BOLD fMRI, no significant activation was found. The findings suggest that dASL has superior performance in detecting task performance and that meditation can improve brain efficiency.

How to access this content:

For one year after publication, abstracts and videos are only open to registrants of this annual meeting. Registrants should use their existing login information. Non-registrant access can be purchased via the ISMRM E-Library.

After one year, current ISMRM & ISMRT members get free access to both the abstracts and videos. Non-members and non-registrants must purchase access via the ISMRM E-Library.

After two years, the meeting proceedings (abstracts) are opened to the public and require no login information. Videos remain behind password for access by members, registrants and E-Library customers.

Click here for more information on becoming a member.