Practicing meditation would protect the brain, in particular by preserving the ability to regulate emotions and attention, and would therefore limit the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
- The researchers are currently developing an app with their meditation program that will be available to the general public.
- Meditation is an activity of training the mind through postures to promote mental well-being.
In France, in 2014, the number of people treated by the healthcare system with dementia was estimated at around 770,000, including 68.7% of women, according to Public Health France. This term brings together the various dementing processes and conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, which is the most common. In France, 1.2 million people are affected, according to health insurance.
An 18-month meditation program
Age is the most important risk factor, but there are others such as smoking, unbalanced diet, sedentary lifestyle, etc. Conversely, certain habits protect the brainin particular practicing a cognitive activity, having a regular social connection with other people, doing at least 150 to 300 minutes of sport of moderate intensity or 75 to 150 minutes with a sustained intensity per week, etc.
According to a new study published in the journal JAMA Network, meditation would also be a very good activity to maintain and protect your brain. To reach this conclusion, the international research team studied the impact of an 18-month meditation program they designed on different factors related to aging and Alzheimer’s disease. The study included 137 participants over the age of 65.
There were three groups. In the first, 45 participants followed this program of meditation. In the second, 46 people learned a foreign language, which is therefore a cognitive activity, with a dedicated daily time. In the last, no specific activity had been set up.
Meditation improves attention and emotions
At the same time, the scientists analyzed the repercussions on the brain, in particular the anterior cingulate cortex (on which emotion, heart rate and certain cognitive functions depend) and the insular cortex, which also manages certain emotions but also addiction, consciousness, etc. The aim of the researchers was to identify potential lesions, to measure the volume of brain structures, certain blood markers but also the impact on sleep and the declared well-being of the participants.
Results: The scientists observed that attention and emotion regulation abilities were better preserved in participants who had followed the meditation program, compared to the other two groups. They also had a better overall score on socio-emotional skills, self-knowledge and regulation of attention. According to the authors, these are criteria related to the well-being of the elderly, which was confirmed by the statements of the participants. On the other hand, meditation did not induce visible modifications on the structure of the brain at the level of the anterior and insular cingulate cortex, nor on the blood markers.
In the future, the scientists plan to continue research in order to deepen the impact of meditation on the brain and the prevention against dementia and neurodegenerative diseases.
