At about the age of 25, the human brain begins to fade – its volume and weight begin to decrease. During this process, the brain begins to lose some functionality. That is why the risk of developing mental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases increases with age.
Fortunately, there is a way to slow down these age-related risks.
Based on a previous study that found that meditation can reduce age-related white matter atrophy, University of California scientists found that meditation helps preserve the gray matter of the brain – tissue that contains neurons.
Scientists have studied the effects of aging on gray matter. The 100 participants in the study were divided into two groups: the first group of people have been meditating for several years, and the second – no. In volunteers from both groups, a decrease in the amount of gray matter was observed; however, the gray matter of meditators survived more than those of people who did not meditate.
The results of the study are presented in an article published in the online edition of the journal Frontiers of Psychology.
Dr. Florian Kurth, co-author of the study, expressed how surprised the scientists were with the results:
"We expected to see small effects on areas of the brain that were previously thought to be associated with meditation. Instead, by scanning participants' brains with high-resolution MRI, we actually found a broad effect of meditation that covered areas of the entire brain" .
Scientists believe that the findings will reveal the main factors that increase the risk of mental disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.
Source estet-portal.com
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