PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
UNASSIGNED: A growing number of advanced neuroimaging studies have compared brain structure and function in long term meditators to non-meditators. The goal is to determine if there may be long term effects on the brain from practicing meditation. In this paper, we present new data on the long term effects of a novel meditation practice in which the focus is on clitoral stimulation. The findings from such a study have implications for potential therapeutic uses with regard to various neurological or psychiatric conditions.
UNASSIGNED: We evaluated the cerebral glucose metabolism in 40 subjects with an extended history (>1 year of practice, 2-3 times per week) performing the meditation practice called Orgasmic Meditation (OM) and compared their brains to a group of non-meditating healthy controls (N = 19). Both meditation and non-meditation subjects underwent brain PET after injection with 148 to 296 MBq of FDG using a standard imaging protocol. Resting FDG PET scans of the OM group were compared to the resting scans of healthy, non-meditating, controls using statistical parametric mapping.
UNASSIGNED: The OM group showed significant differences in metabolic activity at rest compared to the controls. Specifically, there was significantly lower metabolism in select areas of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, as well as the anterior cingulate, insula, and thalamus, in the OM group compared to the controls. In addition, there were notable distinctions between the males and females with the females demonstrating significantly lower metabolism in the thalamus and insula.
UNASSIGNED: Overall, these findings suggest that the long term meditation practitioners of OM have different patterns of resting brain metabolism. Since these areas of the brain in which OM practitioners differ from controls are involved in cognition, attention, and emotional regulation, such findings have implications for understanding how this meditation practice might affect practitioners over long periods of time.
UNASSIGNED: We evaluated the cerebral glucose metabolism in 40 subjects with an extended history (>1 year of practice, 2-3 times per week) performing the meditation practice called Orgasmic Meditation (OM) and compared their brains to a group of non-meditating healthy controls (N = 19). Both meditation and non-meditation subjects underwent brain PET after injection with 148 to 296 MBq of FDG using a standard imaging protocol. Resting FDG PET scans of the OM group were compared to the resting scans of healthy, non-meditating, controls using statistical parametric mapping.
UNASSIGNED: The OM group showed significant differences in metabolic activity at rest compared to the controls. Specifically, there was significantly lower metabolism in select areas of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes, as well as the anterior cingulate, insula, and thalamus, in the OM group compared to the controls. In addition, there were notable distinctions between the males and females with the females demonstrating significantly lower metabolism in the thalamus and insula.
UNASSIGNED: Overall, these findings suggest that the long term meditation practitioners of OM have different patterns of resting brain metabolism. Since these areas of the brain in which OM practitioners differ from controls are involved in cognition, attention, and emotional regulation, such findings have implications for understanding how this meditation practice might affect practitioners over long periods of time.
摘要：
■越来越多的高级神经影像学研究将长期冥想者的大脑结构和功能与非冥想者进行了比较。目标是确定练习冥想是否会对大脑产生长期影响。在本文中,我们提供了有关新颖的冥想练习的长期效果的新数据，其中重点是阴蒂刺激。这项研究的结果对各种神经或精神疾病的潜在治疗用途具有意义。
■我们评估了40名具有长期病史的受试者的脑葡萄糖代谢（>1年的实践，每周2-3次）进行称为Orgasmic冥想（OM）的冥想练习，并将他们的大脑与一组非冥想健康对照（N=19）进行比较。冥想和非冥想受试者在使用标准成像方案注射148至296MBq的FDG后都接受了脑PET。将OM组的静息FDGPET扫描与健康的静息扫描进行比较，非冥想，使用统计参数映射的控件。
■与对照组相比，OM组在休息时的代谢活性显示出显着差异。具体来说,额叶的某些区域的代谢明显较低，temporal,和顶叶，以及前扣带，脑岛,还有丘脑,OM组与对照组相比。此外,男性和女性之间存在显着差异，女性在丘脑和脑岛中的代谢显着降低。
■总的来说，这些发现表明，OM的长期冥想从业者具有不同的静息大脑代谢模式。由于OM从业者与对照组不同的大脑区域涉及认知，注意,和情绪调节，这些发现对于理解这种冥想练习如何在长时间内影响从业者具有重要意义。
■我们评估了40名具有长期病史的受试者的脑葡萄糖代谢（>1年的实践，每周2-3次）进行称为Orgasmic冥想（OM）的冥想练习，并将他们的大脑与一组非冥想健康对照（N=19）进行比较。冥想和非冥想受试者在使用标准成像方案注射148至296MBq的FDG后都接受了脑PET。将OM组的静息FDGPET扫描与健康的静息扫描进行比较，非冥想，使用统计参数映射的控件。
■与对照组相比，OM组在休息时的代谢活性显示出显着差异。具体来说,额叶的某些区域的代谢明显较低，temporal,和顶叶，以及前扣带，脑岛,还有丘脑,OM组与对照组相比。此外,男性和女性之间存在显着差异，女性在丘脑和脑岛中的代谢显着降低。
■总的来说，这些发现表明，OM的长期冥想从业者具有不同的静息大脑代谢模式。由于OM从业者与对照组不同的大脑区域涉及认知，注意,和情绪调节，这些发现对于理解这种冥想练习如何在长时间内影响从业者具有重要意义。
