Meditation practice alters intrinsic resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in the default mode network (DMN). However,\nlittle is known regarding the effects of meditation on other resting-state networks. The aim of current study was to investigate\nthe effects of meditation experience and meditation-state functional connectivity (msFC) on multiple resting-state networks\n(RSNs).Meditation practitioners (MPs) performed two 5-minute scans, one during rest, one while meditating. A meditation na�¨ive\ncontrol group (CG) underwent one resting-state scan. Exploratory regression analyses of the relations between years of meditation\npractice and rsFC and msFC were conducted. During resting-state, MP as compared to CG exhibited greater rsFC within the\nDorsal Attention Network (DAN). Among MP, meditation, as compared to rest, strengthened FC between the DAN and DMN\nand Salience network whereas it decreased FC between the DAN, dorsal medial PFC, and insula. Regression analyses revealed\npositive correlations between the number of years of meditation experience and msFC between DAN, thalamus, and anterior\nparietal sulcus, whereas negative correlations between DAN, lateral and superior parietal, and insula. These findings suggest that\nthe practice of meditation strengthens FC within the DAN as well as strengthens the coupling between distributed networks that\nare involved in attention, self-referential processes, and affective response.
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