The Raelian Movement
for those who are not afraid of the future : http://www.rael.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) Meditation Found to Boost Brain
Connectivity
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100816155000.htm
ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2010) — Just 11 hours of learning a meditation
technique induces positive structural changes in brain connectivity by
boosting efficiency in a part of the brain that helps a person
regulate behavior in accordance with their goals, researchers report.
The technique -- integrative body-mind training (IBMT) -- has been the
focus of intense scrutiny by a team of Chinese researchers led by
Yi-Yuan Tang of Dalian University of Technology in collaboration with
University of Oregon psychologist Michael I. Posner.
IBMT was adapted from traditional Chinese medicine in the 1990s in
China, where it is practiced by thousands of people. It is now being
taught to undergraduates involved in research on the method at the
University of Oregon.
The new research -- published online the week of Aug. 16-21 ahead of
regular publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences -- involved 45 UO students (28 males and 17 females); 22
subjects received IBMT while 23 participants were in a control group
that received the same amount of relaxation training. The experiments
involved the use of brain-imaging equipment in the UO's Robert and
Beverly Lewis Center for Neuroimaging.
A type of magnetic resonance called diffusion tensor imaging allowed
researchers to examine fibers connecting brain regions before and
after training. The changes were strongest in connections involving
the anterior cingulate, a brain area related to the ability to
regulate emotions and behavior. The changes were observed only in
those who practiced meditation and not in the control group. The
changes in connectivity began after six hours of training and became
clear by 11 hours of practice. The researchers said it is possible the
changes resulted from a reorganization of white-matter tracts or by an
increase of myelin that surrounds the connections.
"The importance of our findings relates to the ability to make
structural changes in a brain network related to self regulation,"
said Posner, who last fall received a National Medal of Science. "The
pathway that has the largest change due to IBMT is one that previously
was shown to relate to individual differences in the person's ability
to regulate conflict."
In 2007 in PNAS, Tang, a visiting scholar at the UO, and Posner
documented that doing IBMT for five days prior to a mental math test
led to low levels of the stress hormone cortisol among Chinese
students. The experimental group also showed lower levels of anxiety,
depression, anger and fatigue than students in a relaxation control
group.
In 2009 in PNAS, Tang and Chinese colleagues, with assistance from
Posner and UO psychology professor Mary K. Rothbart, found that IBMT
subjects in China had increased blood flow in the right anterior
cingulate cortex after receiving training for 20 minutes a day over
five days. Compared with the relaxation group, IBMT subjects also had
lower heart rates and skin conductance responses, increased belly
breathing amplitude and decreased chest respiration rates.
The latter findings suggested the possibility that additional training
might trigger structural changes in the brain, leading to the new
research, Tang and Posner said. The researchers currently are
extending their evaluation to determine if longer exposure to IBMT
will produce positive changes in the size of the anterior cingulate.
Deficits in activation of the anterior cingulate cortex have been
associated with attention deficit disorder, dementia, depression,
schizophrenia and many other disorders. "We believe this new finding
is of interest to the fields of education, health and neuroscience, as
well as for the general public," Tang said.
In their conclusion, the researchers wrote that the new findings
suggest a use of IBMT as a vehicle for understanding how training
influences brain plasticity.
IBMT is not yet available in the United States beyond the research
being done at the UO. The practice avoids struggles to control
thought, relying instead on a state of restful alertness, allowing for
a high degree of body-mind awareness while receiving instructions from
a coach, who provides breath-adjustment guidance and mental imagery
and other techniques while soothing music plays in the background.
Thought control is achieved gradually through posture, relaxation,
body-mind harmony and balanced breathing. A good coach is critical,
Tang said.
Co-authors with Tang and Posner on the new PNAS paper were Qilin Lu of
the Dalian University of Technology and Xiujuan Geng, Elliot A. Stein
and Yihong Yang, all of the National Institute on Drug
Abuse-Intramural Research Program in Baltimore, Md.
The James S. Bower Foundation based in Santa Barbara, Calif., John
Templeton Foundation in West Conshohocken, PA, National Natural
Science Foundation of China and U.S. National Institute on Drug
Abuse-Intramural Research Program supported the research.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by
ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Oregon.
------------------------------------
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ethics" is simply a last-gasp attempt by deist conservatives and
orthodox dogmatics to keep humanity in ignorance and obscurantism,
through the well tried fermentation of fear, the fear of science and
new technologies.
There is nothing glorious about what our ancestors call history,
it is simply a succession of mistakes, intolerances and violations.
On the contrary, let us embrace Science and the new technologies
unfettered, for it is these which will liberate mankind from the
myth of god, and free us from our age old fears, from disease,
death and the sweat of labour.
Rael
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tell your friends who love scientific news that they can
subscribe to this list !!
They can do it by sending a blank email to:
rael-science-select-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
It's free !
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe, send an email to:
rael-science-select-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
-----------------------------------------------------------------
To change your e-mail address, unsubscribe from the old address and subscribe from the new address (see above).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rael-science-select/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rael-science-select/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
rael-science-select-digest@yahoogroups.com
rael-science-select-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
rael-science-select-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
0 comments:
Post a Comment