Impact of long-term meditation on brain structure and function in normal aging

描述（由申请人提供）：健康成人在正常衰老过程中认知功能的下降与皮层厚度和白质完整性的显著下降有关，特别是在前额叶区域。我们的初步数据表明，定期的冥想练习可能能够减轻与年龄相关的前额皮质灰质某些位点的正常皮层变薄。也有人提出，与冥想练习相关的长期情感变化可能是由于神经可塑性的变化。根据我们的初步数据，我们假设定期的冥想练习会导致在冥想练习中经常参与的区域的皮质增厚，并且这些形态学变化介导了长期实践者报告的有益效果。因此，我们的长期目标是确定神经结构和认知功能之间的关系在皮层区域，我们已经确定。这一建议与NCCAM在阐明促进身心干预积极作用的作用机制方面的特殊兴趣是一致的。我们将把大脑灰质和白质结构的测量与行为表现的测量结合起来，以确定潜在的神经基础，这些基础是定期冥想练习所报道的一些好处的基础。由于组间差异最大的是年龄较大的受试者，我们将招募20名中年冥想练习者和匹配良好的对照组。所有参与者将在普通临床研究中心进行结构和功能MRI扫描，并参加数据收集会议。这项试点研究的主要目标是获得足够的初步数据，以设计未来的纵向研究，直接检验我们的理论。如果我们的假设被证明是正确的，它将提供令人信服的证据，支持冥想作为一种可能的预防性实践，可以减轻正常衰老过程中认知能力下降的症状。这些发现也将提供一个框架，在此基础上可以构建更全面的未来研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The decline in cognitive function during normal aging in healthy adults is associated with significant decreases in cortical thickness and white matter integrity, particularly in prefrontal regions. Our preliminary data suggest that regular practice of meditation may be able to mitigate normal age-related cortical thinning n some loci of pre-frontal cortical gray matter. It has also been proposed that the long-term affective changes associated with meditation practice may be due to neuroplastic changes. Based on our preliminary data, we hypothesize that regular practice of meditation results in cortical thickening of regions that are routinely engaged during meditation practice, and that these morphological changes mediate the salubrious effects reported by long-term practitioners. Therefore, our long-term goal is to determine the relationship between neural structure and cognitive functioning in the cortical regions we have previously identified. This proposal is in line with NCCAM's specific interest in elucidating the mechanisms of action that promote the positive effects of mind-body interventions. We will combine measures of brain gray and white matter structure with measures of behavioral performance in order to identify potential neural substrates that underlie some of the reported benefits of regular meditation practice. As the largest between-group differences were seen in older subjects, we will recruit a cohort of 20 middle-aged meditation practitioners and well-matched controls. All participants will undergo a structural and functional MRI scanning session and attend a data collection session in the General Clinical Research Center. A major goal of this pilot study is to obtain sufficient preliminary data to design a future longitudinal study that will directly test our theory. If our hypothesis is shown to be correct, it will provide compelling evidence in support of meditation as a possible preventive practice that can alleviate symptoms of cognitive decline during normal aging. These findings will also provide a framework upon which more comprehensive future studies can be constructed.