Completed

fMRI Investigation of Meditation

0 criteria met from your profileSee at a glance how your profile meets each eligibility criteria.
What is being collected

Data Collection

Who is being recruted

From 18 to 50 Years
See all eligibility criteria
How is the trial designed

Defined Population

Following a specific population over time in order to understand disease trends and health outcomes within that group.
Observational
Study Start: July 2001
See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Last updated: January 13, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Study start date: July 1, 2001

Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

Meditation and relaxation-based interventions are becoming more widely accepted in clinical settings because of their low cost, low risk, and proven effectiveness as a complementary intervention in a wide range of diseases. Despite the success and growing use of relaxation-based treatments, few studies have addressed the basic mechanism by which these treatments work. This study will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to define the brain mechanisms underlying the meditative state, to differentiate this state from other states, and to determine how meditation-induced brain changes affect autonomic function. Participants in this study will have an fMRI brain scan. Brain activity, breathing rate, and heart rate will be measured while the participant engages in three different activities: lying quietly, meditating, and mentally generating numbers.

Official TitlefMRI Investigation of Meditation 
Principal SponsorNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Last updated: January 13, 2026
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details

60 patients to be enrolled

Total number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.

Defined Population

Researchers follow a specific group of people—such as residents of a region or members of an organization—over time. The goal is to track disease patterns and health outcomes in a defined setting.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Criteria

Any sex

Biological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.

From 18 to 50 Years

Range of ages for which participants are eligible to join.

Healthy volunteers allowed

If individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Daily practice of Vipassana or Kundalini meditation for at least 1 year and participation in at least one 1-week meditation retreat Exclusion Criteria: * Current medical or psychological illness * Use of antidepressants, antianxiolytics, or compounds that alter cerebral blood flow * Claustrophobia * Pregnancy

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.

This study has 1 location

Suspended

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, United StatesSee the location
CompletedOne Study Center