Kuliah Umum“Otak Manusia: Fakta dan Mitos”

How Meditation Affect Your Brain

Prof. Satyanegara

Kamis 9 Februari 2012Pukul 19.00-21.00 WIBWISMA PROKLAMASI

Jl. Proklamasi No. 41 Jakarta Pusat

How meditation affect your brain

Satyanegara

Meditation?

is a process of focusing the mind and feelings to achieve "something“ peace or happiness.

Meditation showed a highly focused state of concentration, so that one can control the activity of central nervous system, including the regulatory region of the autonomic nervous activity (self hypnosis / self control)

HistoryIndian scriptures called “tantras” mentioned meditation techniques 5000 years ago. (meditationcenter.com)

Buddha, a major meditation icon, first made his mark around 500 B.C.

Popularized by Western cultures,

mid-20th century

1960s and 1970s, researchers began testing the effects of meditation

The Nervous system has 3 major functions:§ Sensory – monitors internal & external environment through presence of receptors

§ Integration – interpretation of sensory information (information processing);

§ Motor – response to information processed through stimulation of effectors

● muscle contraction● glandular secretion

Two anatomical divisions • Central nervous system (CNS)• Brain• Spinal cord

• Peripheral nervous system (PNS)• All the neural tissue outside CNS• Afferent division (sensory input)• Efferent division (motor output)

n Somatic nervous systemn Autonomic nervous system

General Organization of the nervous system

General organization of nervous system

BRAIN (telencephalon)

Lobes

Frontal

Parietal

Temporal

Occipital

BrainstemCerebellum

Anatomy

Frontal Lobe

Consciousness

Judgments

Response to environment

Controls our emotional response

Controls our expressive language

Abstract thought

Concentration, Attention

Language planning

Short term memory

Motor cortex

—Voluntary movement

Parietal Lobe

Location for touch perception.

Integration of different senses that allows for understanding a single concept

Sense of space and time

(postero-superior lobe)

Temporal Lobe

Hearing ability

Memory acquisition

language processing

(Wernicke’s area)

Vision

Occipital Lobe

Limbic lobe

set the human feelings

control the instinct / instinct

record a new memory

(experience or a particular atmosphere).

The diencephalon includes:

the thalamus and its geniculate bodies,

the hypothalamus,

the subthalamus,

the epithalamus.

The third ventricle lies between the halves of the diencephalon.

Hypothalamus has important regulatory

functionsTemperature

Emotional regulation: sad, Happiness

Growth (via thyroid stimulating hormone)

Hunger and thirst

Sexual behaviour

Defensive reactions: fear, rage

Control of various endocrine and activity rhythms (via hormones)

What pathways control autonomic responses?

Direct control arises from the hypothalamus,

-parabrachial nucleus,

-nucleus of the solitary tract

-neurons in the ventrolateral medulla.

Indirect control originates from the cortex, amygdala , and the periqueductal gray matter.

Click to edit Master text stylesSecond level

● Third level● Fourth level

● Fifth level

Sympathetic Parasympathetic

Cardiovascular system blood vessels none to skeletal muscle vasodilation to skin and viscera vasoconstriction Heart rate, force of contraction increases decreasesRespiratory system diameter of air passages increases decreases respiratory rate increases decreasesEye dilate pupil constrict pupil accommodation distance vision near visionSweat gland increased secretion noneAdrenal gland secretes E, NE none

Sympathetic Parasympathetic

Digestive system general level of activity decreases increases sphincters constrict dilate secretory glands inhibit stimulate salivary gland stimulate simulate

serous secretion watery secretionUrinary system kidneys decreases urine increases urine urinary bladder relaxes tenses

sphincter constricts relaxesMale reproductive system increases erection glandular secretion and ejaculation

Conciousness

is a result of various complex functions, based on alertness and awareness of oneself and environment.

AwarenessAlertness

Conciousness

ConsciousnessInvolves ARAS and the normally functioning cerebrum responding to the arrival of visual, auditory, and somatic afferent stimulations.

arousal Conciousness circuit

Brainstem (ARAS) thalamus

(nucleus intralaminar

& centromedial)

Cerebral cortex

awareness

ARAS Thalamus

thalamocortical

Cerebral cortex with

cytoarchitectonic numbered area

awareness

Meditation

Fully alert

Fully aware

Fully conciouss

Seems like sleeping but it’s not!

Functional Mapping of Meditation

Meditation is a conscious mental process that induces a set of integrated physiologic changes termed the “relaxation response”

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to identify and characterize the brain regions that are active during a simple form of meditation.

Results

Significant signal increases were observed in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortices, hippocampus/parahippocampus, temporal lobe, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, and striatum, during meditation.

This indicates that the practice of meditation activates neural structures involved in attention and control of the autonomic nervous system.

Neuroreport. 2000 May 15;11(7):1581-5. Functional brain mapping of the relaxation response and meditation. Lazar SW,…, Benson H.

Brainwaves state

Beta: heightened state of alertness and focused concentration.

Alpha A state of relaxed mental awareness or reflection, visualization, problem solving and accessing deeper levels of creativity.

Theta a state of deep relaxation and meditation, enhanced creativity, stress relief, light sleep and dreaming.

Delta the slowest in frequency. A state of deep dreamless sleep.

Gamma the most rapid in frequency. when bursts of insight or high-level information processing occur.

Chain of brain process during meditation

(Newberg & d’Aquili)

12

342

Neurological activity when meditating

FRONTAL LOBE

..While focusing/ concentrating..

Prerontal lobe activity

GABA release

1

GABA release

PARIETAL LOBE

THALAMUS

Decreasing stimuli arriving at parietal

Parietal activity

Orientation association area (space and time)

Result: sense of wholeness

2

Neurological activity when meditating

Thalamus: what is and isn’t real

Thalamus makes differences between inner and outer

Thalamus activity

: decrease stimuli to cerebral cortex

Neurological activity when meditating

HIPPOCAMPUS

- Conveys emotional significance of experience

- Activates right lateral amygdala

AMYGDALA- Confers emotional significance on the lack of

incoming sensory information- Influences hypothalamus

3

Neurological activity when meditating

HYPOTHALAMUS

Ventromedial hypothalamus activates

parasympathetic nervous system

Produce relaxation,

happiness

4

Neurological activity when meditating

A10

Regulates happiness

Endocrine change during meditation

Acetylcholine

GABA

Endorphine

DHEA-S

Melantonin

Lactate

Cortisol

Epinephrine

Physiological Effects

First discovered in 1946

Affect the heart rates and respiration rates of Indian yogis and Zen masters

More recently, researchers found meditation can decrease muscle tension

Physiological Effects

Positive effects on blood pressure

Decreases heart rate

Decreases blood lactate levels and carbon dioxide production

Lowers cortisol reduce stress

Can efficiently treat pain

Conclusion

Meditation first emerged in the philosophical framework of religious and spiritual Eastern societies.

Meditation is believed to help human maintain physical health, to achieve peace, and gain spiritual strength.

People are always try to find peace inside and outside the body meditation is necessary to reach a sense of happiness, and peace

There’re various techniques of meditation, but which is best suited to someone is depending on one’s beliefs and character

Thank you