Meditation would slow down aging of the brain

aremafoto/Epictura

Published the 08.12.2017 at 17h23

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méditationcerveauvieillissementmaladie alzheimer’s

Aging is associated with a number of changes in the brain, which contribute to the decline of cognitive function in the elderly. To slow down this process, it is necessary to train his brain. Meditation could be part of this training, as it promotes the metabolism of glucose, the fuel of neurons.

With age, substantial decreases are observed in terms of brain volume and glucose metabolism. These changes are not homogenous in the brain, since they predominate in the frontal cortex and are also often reported in other locations, such as the anterior cingulate cortex and the insula. Other brain regions parietal and temporal, including the hippocampus, seem to be also affected.

Healthy aging of the brain

It is increasingly recognized that several factors related to the mode of life modulate the brain aging and the development of dementia. These results are of considerable interest because they suggest that a change of attitude of life might enable a kind of ” healthy aging of the brain “.

Meditation and glucose

The main objective of the study was to compare the state of the brain of a person meditating to that of a person who is totally foreign to meditation. In the first, the volume is higher and we observed a better glucose metabolism in the prefrontal cortex, cingulate, ventro-medial anterior, the insula, the temporal-parietal junction and the posterior cingulate cortex.

The results should be interpreted with caution given the low number of meditators aged. However, this study is the first to suggest that glucose metabolism in the brain is a sensitive measure to detect changes associated with meditation practices.