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How Does Meditation Affect the Default Mode Network: A Systematic Review

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GeNeDis 2022 (GeNeDis 2022)

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1425))

Abstract

This article provides a systematic review of studies evaluating the effect of meditation on the Default Mode Network (DMN). The review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. A literature search of PubMed, Scopus, and Embase was conducted up to June 2020. Search terms included default mode network or DMN and meditation.

A total of 306 articles were identified, of which 16 controlled trials with a total of 853 experienced (in Mindfulness, Samatha, Raja Yoga, Transcendental Meditation, Vipassana, Insight meditation Theravada tradition) and non-experienced mediators were finally included in this systematic review. The results showed that meditative interventions affect the operation of DMN and there are differences in functional connectivity between networks. Further research should be undertaken to establish meditation as an effective intervention strategy for well-being.

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Conflict of Interest

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Dimitrios Zagkas

  2. Center for Adolescent Medicine and UNESCO Chair in Adolescent Health Care, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece

    Flora Bacopoulou

  3. Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Dimitrios Vlachakis

  4. University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health & Precision Medicine, Athens, Greece

    George P. Chrousos

  5. UNESCO Chair in Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Aghia Sophia Children’s Hospital, Athens, Greece

    George P. Chrousos

  6. School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Christina Darviri

Authors
  1. Dimitrios Zagkas
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  2. Flora Bacopoulou
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  3. Dimitrios Vlachakis
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  4. George P. Chrousos
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  5. Christina Darviri
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Flora Bacopoulou .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Informatics, Ionian University, Corfu, Greece

    Panagiotis Vlamos

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Zagkas, D., Bacopoulou, F., Vlachakis, D., Chrousos, G.P., Darviri, C. (2023). How Does Meditation Affect the Default Mode Network: A Systematic Review. In: Vlamos, P. (eds) GeNeDis 2022. GeNeDis 2022. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1425. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31986-0_22

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