fMRI Investigation of Meditation

描述（由申请人提供）：基于冥想和放松 干预措施在临床环境中越来越被广泛接受和使用 部分原因是它们成本低、风险低， 对多种疾病进行补充干预。冥想练习 引起的放松反应，这是一套完整的生理 与压力反应相反的变化。尽管成功和越来越多的使用 放松反应为基础的治疗，很少有研究已经解决了基本的 这些治疗的机制。正如国家中心所说， 补充和替代医学？中国的五年战略计划“，是吗 关键是要严格评估广泛使用的CAM治疗”，并“阐明 CAM模式的基本机制。此指导的主要目标 科学家发展奖是使用功能磁共振成像来定义神经机制 在冥想状态的基础上，将这种状态与三种控制区分开来， 状态，然后确定在冥想过程中具体的神经变化 调节自主神经功能。这些知识可能有助于确定新的 这种干预的医学应用，可能包括预防性的， 干预措施。 计划进行一系列综合研究，目标如下： 确定在冥想期间活跃的大脑部位，并区分 从简单的休息或咒语般的控制状态激活的模式。2)定义 冥想对全球脑血流量的影响，并区分这些 呼吸缓慢的影响3)整合fMRI、MEG和EEG数据， 创建高空间和时间分辨率的神经活动图， 冥想.确定神经活动的时间顺序 心肺事件，以确定调节自主神经功能的位点， 冥想. 候选人建议寻求以下方面的培训：1）生理学，包括 分析复杂的生理信号，以及如何使用这些数据集， 询问fMRI数据2）功能成像的统计方法3）MR 成像和分析4）神经生物学和神经解剖学5）冥想和 松弛反应

DESCRIPTION (Provided by applicant): Meditation and relaxation-based interventions are becoming more widely accepted and used in clinical settings in part because of their low cost, low risk and proven effectiveness as a complementary intervention in a wide range of diseases. Practice of meditation induces the relaxation response, which is a set of integrated physiologic changes opposite of the stress response. Despite the success and growing use of relaxation response based treatments, few studies have addressed the basic mechanism by which these treatments work. As stated in the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine?s Five- Year Strategic Plan, "is it crucial to rigorously evaluate widely-used CAM treatments" and to "elucidate basic mechanisms" of CAM modalities. The primary goal of this Mentored Scientist Development Award is to use fMRI to define the neural mechanisms underlying the meditative state, differentiate this state from three control states, and then determine how specific neurological changes during meditation modulate autonomic function. Such knowledge could be useful for identifying new medical applications for this intervention, including perhaps, preventative interventions. An integrated series of studies is planned with the following goals: 1) Identify brain loci that are active during meditation and differentiate the pattern of activation from simple rest or mantra-like control states. 2) Define the effects of meditation on global cerebral blood flow and differentiate these from the effects of slow breathing. 3) Integrate fMRI, MEG and EEG data to create high spatial and temporal resolution maps of neural activity during meditation. Determine temporal order of neural activity relative to cardiorespiratory events, to identify loci modulating autonomic function during meditation. The candidate proposes to seek training in: 1) Physiology, including the analysis of complex physiological signals and how to use these data sets to interrogate fMRI data 2) Statistical approaches to functional imaging 3) MR imaging and analysis 4) Neurobiology and neuroanatomy 5) Meditation and the relaxation response.