Imaging Cerebral and Sub-cerebral Correlates of Meditative States (calm)

Three groups of subjects are trained to practice mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, or attend a health training control class. Individuals from each group will undergo structural and functional brain imaging before and after training. The hypothesis is that the compassion meditation group will show the largest changes in brain structure and function. In a second series of experiments, the subjects practicing a Tibetan meditation practice will be undergo MRI thermometry imaging to construct detailed three dimensional temperature maps of their bodies before, during, and after they perform this practice.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Stress

Detailed Description

Structural (MRI) Imaging will be used to measure changes in cortical thickness in the pre and post training groups. Function (fMRI) Imaging will be used to measure changes in cortical and sub-cortical responses to a series of affectively controlled visual images, presented during scanning. MRI Thermometry Imaging will be used to construct three dimensional temperature maps of subjects while performing meditation in the scanner.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 58

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Terri Sivilli, AB; Phone Number: 404 778 2256; Email: tsivil@emory.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02215
      • Recruiting
      • Boston University Dept. of Cognitive and Neural Systems
      • Principal Investigator: Eric L Schwartz, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Community Sample

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-65 for the mindfulness-compassion study
• Prior training in gtummo meditation for the gtummo study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Previous experience with meditation for the mindfulness-compassion study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Cohort
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
HealthEd,Minfdulness,Compassion; HealthEd receives training health education. Mindfulness receives training in mindfulness meditation. Compassion receives training in compassion meditation.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Boston University
• Collaborators: Emory University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Eric L Schwartz, PhD, Boston University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: January 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): October 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Anticipated): October 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 16, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 16, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): December 17, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 17, 2010
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 16, 2010
• Last Verified: December 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: BU-Emory-01; AT005728-01 (Other Grant/Funding Number: NCCAM)