(20-05-12) Meditation Strengthens The Brain

Easy Health Options Staff

Research into the brain has shown that meditation strengthens the connection
between brain cells. It also can decrease stress. And now a study at UCLA shows
that meditating helps produce more folds in the brain?s cortex, a process that
is believed to allow the brain to process information faster.

This folding, called gyrification, occurs in the outermost layer of the brain?
s neural tissue. The scientists found that the amount of gyrification in the
cortex was proportional to the number of years people had been practicing
meditation. This is thought to provide further proof of the brain?s
neuroplasticity (its ability to adapt to environmental changes).

?Meditators are known to be masters in introspection and awareness as well as
emotional control and self-regulation,? says researcher Eileen Luders. ?So the
findings make sense that the longer someone has meditated, the higher the
degree of folding in the insula.? (The insula is a part of the brain involved
in the integration of information.)

While Luders cautions that genetic and other environmental factors could have
contributed to the effects the researchers observed, she says: ?The positive
correlation between gyrification and the number of practice years supports the
idea that meditation enhances regional gyrification.?

Source: easyhealthoptions.com

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