There is limited evidence as to whether meditation is the causative factor for altered brain structure. However, there is a possibility that pre-existing brain heterogeneities could explain these differences. Examinations of meditation-naive persons before and after undergoing brief meditation training in comparison to control groups bare on the edge of causality and indicate that only a few hours of meditation training are necessary to induce neuroplastic changes. The changes in the brain exhibited by those given a brief training have also been observed in almost all the same regions as long-term practitioners. 

 Is meditation a causative factor in altered brain structure?

Morphometric neuroimaging seeks to discover whether meditation is a form of skill learning that can produce anatomical changes in the brain. These  changes would  implicate  increases in brain structure as a partial neural explanation for the numerous cognitive and emotional benefits of mediation.

University of Georgia

Mindfulness meditation  may  effect the cognitive processes of enhanced self-regulation, including attention control, emotion regulation and self-awareness.  Scientists have discovered changes in brain structure related to mindfulness meditation in brain regions that control these cognitive processes.

Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation

Wang, P. P., & Jernigan, T. L. (1994). Morphometric studies using neuroimaging. Neurologic clinics, 12(4), 789–802.

Morphometric studies using neuroimaging. 

Volumetry

Concentration

Thickness

Fractional Anisotropy

Diffusivity

Gyrification

Morphometric measures used to study neural changes in meditation practitioners 

Meaning of changes in brain structure of meditators

Mindfulness meditation improves conflict monitoring and reduces attentional blink. These changes were studies using the attention network test (ANT) and other experimental paradigms to determine the effects of meditation on attentional performance.

Effects of mindfulness meditation on attention

Mindfulness meditation has been shown to lead to the development of skills that allow individuals to regulate their emotions effectively as they arise. 

Through fMRI and DTI, activity changes were shown in several regions, including: amygdala, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and adjacent prefrontal cortex. 
Decreased activity in the amygdala and insula, paired with increased activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and adjacent prefrontal cortex, signifies both more stability in emotion regulation and better impulse control.

Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on Emotion Regulation

- models of food intake regulation that emphasize the interplay of psychological and physiological control processes
- self-regulation theory
- neuro-cognitive and therapeutic models of mindfulness meditation

Theoretical Approaches in Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training

- Anterior Cingulate Cortex
- Insular Cortex
- Prefrontal Cortex
- Amygdala

Areas of the Brain Responsible for Mindfulness

As Intentional Mindfulness is practiced, the brain begins to acquire "learned" mindfulness (otherwise known as Dispositional or Trait Mindfulness). Extensively trained mindfulness practitioners have a keen sense of their current surroundings, a deep understanding of the body, and overall contain high levels of Dispositional Mindfulness. 

Learn Before

Related

Learn After