Meditiation and Brain Changes, Potential Application in PTSD

This is but one of the many research studies that continually point to the fact that individuals can make changes in their brains. The remaining question is what combination of exercises/treatments is best for each type of brain injury or disorder.

Excerpt from Article:
"Amishi Jha, PhD, a University of Miami neuroscientist who investigates mindfulness-training's effects on individuals in high-stress situations, says, "These results shed light on the mechanisms of action of mindfulness-based training. They demonstrate that the first-person experience of stress can not only be reduced with an 8-week mindfulness training program but that this experiential change corresponds with structural changes in the amygdala, a finding that opens doors to many possibilities for further research on MBSR's potential to protect against stress-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder." Jha was not one of the study investigators."
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Full Article at: Mindfulness Meditation Training Changes Brain Structure in Eight Weeks

ScienceDaily (Jan. 21, 2011) — Participating in an 8-week mindfulness meditation program appears to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. In a study that will appear in the January 30 issue of Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers report the results of their study, the first to document meditation-produced changes over time in the brain's grey matter.

"Sara Lazar, PhD, of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program, the study's senior author, says "This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing."

"It is fascinating to see the brain's plasticity and that, by practicing meditation, we can play an active role in changing the brain and can increase our well-being and quality of life." says Britta Hölzel, PhD, first author of the paper and a research fellow at MGH and Giessen University in Germany. "Other studies in different patient populations have shown that meditation can make significant improvements in a variety of symptoms, and we are now investigating the underlying mechanisms in the brain that facilitate this change."

Amishi Jha, PhD, a University of Miami neuroscientist who investigates mindfulness-training's effects on individuals in high-stress situations, says, "These results shed light on the mechanisms of action of mindfulness-based training. They demonstrate that the first-person experience of stress can not only be reduced with an 8-week mindfulness training program but that this experiential change corresponds with structural changes in the amygdala, a finding that opens doors to many possibilities for further research on MBSR's potential to protect against stress-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder." Jha was not one of the study investigators.

James Carmody, PhD, of the Center for Mindfulness at University of Massachusetts Medical School, is one of co-authors of the study, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the British Broadcasting Company, and the Mind and Life Institute."

Veteran's Widow Sues Lexington-VA Over Husband's Suicide

Full Article at: Lawsuit: Lexington VA facilities denied veteran help before suicide

By Jennifer Hewlett at 12:00am on Jan 22, 2011 — jhewlett@herald-leader.com

"The lawsuit says VA facilities representatives were negligent, and Anestis' death was directly due to their acts and omissions.

Cameron Anestis, a Marine Corps reservist who spent several months in Iraq, fatally shot himself at his Scott County home on Aug. 17, 2009, hours after he left the VA medical facilities on Leestown Road and the VA hospital on Cooper Drive, according to the lawsuit filed this week in U.S. District Court in Lexington and attorney Al Grasch, who represents Anestis' widow and daughter."