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Silence Practice Modulates the Resting State Functional Connectivity of Language Network with Default Mode and Dorsal Attention Networks in Long-Term Meditators

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Abstract

Objectives

The practice of silence is integral to some meditation traditions. Research is lacking on how silence practice affects brain connectivity. We hypothesized that silent, retreat-based meditation practice would reduce the connection between the language network from core cognitive networks such as the dorsal attention network (DAN) and default mode network (DMN).

Method

In a retrospective study, we analyzed resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) data in 13 long-term Vipassana meditators (LTM) (~ 11,000 average hours of lifetime meditation experience) and healthy controls (n = 34) with no experience in meditation. We also compared our results with a large-scale dataset—Human Connectome Project (n = 169) (HCP). We compared the within and across functional connectivity among the three networks and correlated meditation experience and days spent in silence with the network connectivities.

Results

We found that the meditators have decoupled functional connectivity strengths (F(2,204) = 10.27, p < 0.01) between the DMN and language network (M =  − 0.05, SD = 0.19) as compared to HCP controls (M = 0.14, SD = 0.14). The DAN had a negatively correlated connectivity strength with the language network in meditators (r =  − 0.20) as compared to both control groups (r = 0.02) and a strong inverse relation (r =  − 0.54) was found between DAN-language connectivity and the number of days spent in silent retreat.

Conclusions

Our study finds a potential role of silence training in changing the connectivities of three cognitive networks, DMN, DAN, and language network, resulting in reduced thoughts during meditation and a deeper experience of meditation.

Preregistration

This study is not preregistered.

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Data Availability

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to participant privacy. The Human Connectome Project (HCP) dataset is publicly available on db.humanconnectome.org.

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Funding

This work was funded by National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship DGE-1247312 and Ad Astra Chandaria Foundation (K.J.D.), and National Science Foundation Grant SMA-0835976 and National Institutes of Health grant R01-EY022229 (D.C.S.). No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    Vaibhav Tripathi & David C. Somers

  2. U.C. Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Kathryn J. Devaney

  3. Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Sara W. Lazar

Authors
  1. Vaibhav Tripathi
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  2. Kathryn J. Devaney
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  3. Sara W. Lazar
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  4. David C. Somers
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Contributions

Vaibhav Tripathi: conceptualization, methodology, software, formal analysis, investigation, writing—original draft, visualization, writing—review and editing; Kathryn J. Devaney: methodology, investigation, project administration, data curation, writing—review and editing; Sara W. Lazar: supervision, writing—review and editing; David C Somers: investigation, resources, writing—review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Vaibhav Tripathi.

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The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Boston University (1040E, 2734E) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Tripathi, V., Devaney, K.J., Lazar, S.W. et al. Silence Practice Modulates the Resting State Functional Connectivity of Language Network with Default Mode and Dorsal Attention Networks in Long-Term Meditators. Mindfulness 15, 665–674 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-024-02316-7

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