Mental Training Affects Distribution of Limited Brain Resources

By H. Slagter, Antoine Lutz, L. Greischar, Andrew D. Francis, Sander Nieuwenhuis, James M Davis, Richard J. Davidson. PLoS Biology, 2007

798 citations recorded by the source corpus.

The information processing capacity of the human mind is limited, as is evidenced by the so-called “attentional-blink” deficit: When two targets (T1 and T2) embedded in a rapid stream of events are presented in close temporal proximity, the second target is often not seen. This deficit is believed to result from competition between the two targets for limited attentional resources. Here we show, using performance in an attentional-blink task and scalp-recorded brain potentials, that meditation, or mental training, affects the distribution of limited brain resources. Three months of intensive mental training resulted in a smaller attentional blink and reduced brain-resource allocation to the first target, as reflected by a smaller T1-elicited P3b, a brain-potential index of resource allocation. Furthermore, those individuals that showed the largest decrease in brain-resource allocation to T1 generally showed the greatest reduction in attentional-blink size. These observations provide novel support for the view that the ability to accurately identify T2 depends upon the efficient deployment of resources to T1. The results also demonstrate that mental training can result in increased control over the distribution of limited brain resources. Our study supports the idea that plasticity in brain and mental function exists throughout life and illustrates the usefulness of systematic mental training in the study of the human mind.

Subfields: Cognitive Neuroscience

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/99cc04bce0a4e7d9f94958c01651d20d0c50a5ea

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Citations in the corpus

Meditation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. (2009, background): “An alternative perspective on buddhist meditation practice is concerned with cognitive, emotional and neurophysiological changes resulting from extensive meditation practice, where meditation is often conceptualised in terms of mental or cognitive training (e.g. Cahn & Polich, 2006; Carter et al., 2”
Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness (2012, background): “Attentional blink refers to a deficit in perception of a second target (T2) when presented in rapid succession ( 500 ms) following an initial target (T1) embedded in a stream of stimuli presented in close temporal proximity (Slagter et al., 2007).”
Psychological Functioning in a Sample of Long-Term Practitioners of Mindfulness Meditation (2009, background): “Changes in brain functions related to attentional processes in long-term meditators have been reported by Brefczynski-Lewis, Lutz, Schaefer, Levinson, and Davidson (2007) and Slagter et al. (2007).”
Contemplating Mindfulness at Work (2016, background): “Mindfulness also supports attentional efficiency, the economical use of cognitive resources (Neubauer & Fink, 2009; Slagter et al., 2007).”
The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting With Nature (2008, background): “Meditation may be another intervention able to restore directedattention abilities (Kaplan, 2001; Slagter et al., 2007; Tang et al., 2007).”
Paying Attention to Mindfulness and Its Effects on Task Performance in the Workplace (2011, background): “In support of this claim, researchers have found that, even in extremely short intervals (measured in milliseconds), mindfulness increases the number of stimuli that individuals notice in their environment (Slagter et al., 2007).”
Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density (2010, methodology): “Neuroimaging studies have begun to explore the neural mechanisms underlying mindfulness meditation practice with techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) (Davidson et al., 2003; Slagter et al., 2007) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (Farb et al.”
Two-Year Impact of a Mindfulness-Based Program on Preschoolers’ Self-Regulation and Academic Performance (2016, background): “…of neural systems that support emotional, cognitive, and behavioral regulation, specifically increased activation of prefrontal cortical regions of the brain (Creswell, Way, Eisenberger, & Lieberman, 2007; Farb et al., 2007; Lutz et al., 2009; Singer & Lamm, 2009; Slagter et al., 2007).”
Expanding minds: Growth mindsets of self-regulation and the influences on effort and perseverance (2018, background): “One potential reason why the growth mindset did not improve performance on this particular task is that attentional control is a cognitive skill that may require practice—rather than just greater persistence—in order to improve (Moore, Gruber, Derose, & Malinowski, 2012; Slagter et al., 2007; Tang e”
Performance-Based Tests of Attention and Memory in Long-Term Mindfulness Meditators and Demographically Matched Nonmeditators (2012, methodology): “Traditional meditation practices have been incorporated into several contemporary interventions, including mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; Kabat-Zinn 1982) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT; Segal et al. 2002 ), among others, which have accrued substantial empirical support fo”
Mindfulness training and the cultivation of secure, satisfying couple relationships. (2013, positive): “Studies show that meditators are better than controls at avoiding getting so preoccupied with some tasks or details that they are inattentive to others (Hölzel et al., 2011b; Slagter et al., 2007).”
How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective (2011, positive): “In accordance with such self-reports, a number of studies have empirically documented enhanced attentional performance in meditators (e.g., Jha et al., 2007; Slagter et al., 2007; Valentine & Sweet, 1999; van den Hurk, Giommi, Gielen, Speckens, & Barendregt, 2010).”
Mind The Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation (2017, neutral): “Some promising preliminary examples include studies that involved different types of mindfulness training leading to modest improvements in the efficiency of attention, orienting, and executive cognitive control after varying types of practice ( Jha et al., 2007; Sahdra et al., 2011; Slagter et al.,”
Mindful emotion regulation: An integrative review. (2009, background): “Cognitive and neurobiological research (e.g., Carter et al., 2005; Lutz, Brefczynski-Lewis et al., 2008; Slagter et al., 2007) has provided support for this notion.”
Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience (2009, positive): “For example, Slagter et al. (2007) demonstrated that 3 months of intensive mindfulness meditation significantly sharpened participants’ attentional abilities, specifically by decreasing the ‘attentional blink’ deficit, the tendency to miss a stimulus presented in close succession to an initial…”
Intrapsychic Correlates of Professional Quality of Life: Mindfulness, Empathy, and Emotional Separation (2010, background): “However, some of the proposed effects of mindfulness seem to be conceptually different from the aspect of mindfulness relating to emotional separation, including improved attentional focus and flexibility (Moore & Malinowski, 2009; Slagter et al., 2007); greater general well-being and improved relat”