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Mechanism of Integrative Body-Mind Training

Article  in  Neuroscience Bulletin · December 2011

DOI: 10.1007/s12264-011-1141-2 · Source: PubMed

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Neurosci Bull December 1, 2011, 27(6): 383–388. http://www.neurosci.cn
DOI: 10.1007/s12264-011-1141-2 383

·Review·

Mechanism of Integrative Body-Mind Training

Yi-Yuan Tang

Institute of Neuroinformatics and Lab for Body and Mind, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China

© Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, CAS and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011

Abstract: Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) originates from ancient Eastern tradition. The method stresses no effort
to control thoughts, but instead a state of restful alertness that allows a high degree of awareness of the body, breathing, and
external instructions. A series of studies indicates that IBMT improves attention and self-regulation through interaction
between the central (brain) and the autonomic (body) nervous systems. The present review mainly summarizes the recent
results of IBMT studies and proposes how it changes the state of brain and body to lead to positive outcomes. Future di-
rections in this field are also discussed.

Keywords: Integrative Body-Mind Training; neuroplasticity; autonomic nervous system; central nervous system

1 Introduction instructions (usually from a compact disc). IBMT stresses

a balanced state of relaxation while focusing on attention.
Integrative Body-Mind Training (IBMT) originates
Thought control is achieved gradually through posture and
from ancient Eastern tradition. The IBMT method is based
relaxation, body-mind harmony, and balance with the help
on traditional Chinese medicine combined with the latest
of the coach rather than by making the trainee attempt an
neuroscience findings[1]. It was developed in the 1990s, and
internal struggle to control thoughts in accordance with
its effects have been studied in China since 1995. Based on
instructions[1-10].
the results from hundreds of adults and children ranging
from 4 to 90 years old in China, IBMT practice has been 2 IBMT improves attention and reduces stress
[1-10]
shown to improve attention and self-regulation .
In our study of IBMT training effects, IBMT was
IBMT involves body relaxation, mental imagery, and
applied to a randomly-selected group of Chinese under-
mindfulness training, accompanied by selected background
graduates, while the control group was given the same
music. It achieves the desired state by “initial mind set-
amount of muscle relaxation training that is very popular
ting” with a brief period of instructions, to induce a cogni-
in the West[4]. A standard computerized attention test (At-
tive or emotional set that will influence the training. The
tention Network Test, ANT)[11] that measures orienting,
method does not stress the control of thoughts, but instead
alerting, and the ability to resolve conflict (executive at-
provides a state of restful alertness that allows a high
tention) was then given to the subjects. Five days of IBMT
degree of awareness of the body, breathing, and external
20 min/day) showed a significantly greater improvement
than the control group on the ANT “resolution of conflict”
Corresponding author: Yi-Yuan Tang
Tel: +86-411-84706039; Fax: +86-411-84706046 score. Furthermore, the Profile of Mood States measured
E-mail: [email protected] before and after training revealed less anxiety, depres-
Article ID: 1673-7067(2011)06-0383-06
Received date: 2010-11-04; Accepted date: 2011-09-27 sion, anger and fatigue, as well as greater vigor in subjects
384 Neurosci Bull December 1, 2011, 27(6): 383–388

receiving IBMT training, indicating that short-term IBMT physiological reactions in heart rate, respiratory amplitude
can enhance positive and reduce negative mood. We also and rate, and SCR than the relaxation controls. Differences
tested the hypothesis that improvement in the efficiency in heart rate variability (HRV) and EEG power suggested
of attention accompanies higher intelligence scores by greater involvement of the autonomic nervous system (espe-
using Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices, a standard cially parasympathetic activity) in the IBMT group during
and culturally-balanced measure of general intelligence. and after training; imaging data demonstrated stronger sub-
The results revealed that short-term IBMT improves the genual and adjacent ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)
Raven’s score, although only marginally more so than in activity in the IBMT group; and frontal midline (FCz) ACC
[4]
the control group . Finally, if the ability to self-regulate theta also correlated with high-frequency HRV, suggesting
emotion and cognition improves in the training group, control by the ACC over parasympathetic activity (see ref.
members of the group should also show reduced reactions 5 for further details).
to stress as measured by, for example, cortisol levels and These findings indicate that after 5 d of training, the
immunoreactivity. Cortisol and sIgA are indexes of the IBMT group show improved regulation of the autonomic
amount of stress induced by a cognitive challenge. We ap- nervous system by a ventral midfrontal brain system than
plied 3 min of mental arithmetic as an acute stress after the relaxation group. This enhancement probably reflects
5-day IBMT or relaxation. Compared to the relaxation training in the coordination and balance of body and mind
group, the IBMT group showed a significant decrease in by IBMT but not by relaxation training. These results could
stress-related cortisol, and an increase in immunoreactivity be useful in the design of further specific interventions[5].
(see ref. 4 for details of the above experiments). Based on these results, the “state-change hypothesis”
was proposed to further explain the IBMT mechanism of
3 Brain-body interaction during IBMT
central and autonomic nervous interaction and balance[10].
Our previous study showed that 5-day IBMT improves State-change refers to the shift between certain forms of ex-
attention and self-regulation compared with the same perience such as sleepiness or wakefulness and meditation
amount of relaxation training, so the underlying mecha- or exercise. These experiences have in common an altered
nisms were then investigated. Cooperation between body state of mind and body. IBMT improves attention and self-
and mind is emphasized in facilitating and achieving a regulation through state changes involving both body and
meditative state in IBMT practice, so in the following study, mind. The combined use of body and mind training is sup-
we tested the role of body (physiology)-mind (brain) inter- ported by studies of embodied cognition, in which changes
action and balance in the effect of IBMT. In that study, 46 in the body, particularly in facial expression, influence
Chinese undergraduates were randomized into experimental emotional processing, facilitate the retrieval of autobio-
(IBMT) and control (relaxation) groups, and underwent graphical memories and enhance the sense of power[12-14].
brain imaging (regional cerebral blood-flow) with physi-
4 IBMT induces neuroplasticity
ological measures, whereas another 40 participants were
also randomly assigned into IBMT and relaxation groups, Months of motor learning or working memory training
but received electroencephalography (EEG) with physi- in adults are known to induce experience-dependent structural
ological measures. The physiological measures were heart changes in the gray matter associated with task demand[15-17].
rate, skin conductance response (SCR), and respiratory However, whether or when mindfulness training produces
rate and amplitude, to monitor autonomic nervous system similar changes is largely unknown. We first tested this
activity. Measurements were made at rest before, during, hypothesis using voxel-based morphometry analysis with
[5]
and after 5 d of IBMT or relaxation training . During and the FMRIB Software Library (FSL) tools, and revealed
after training, the IBMT group showed significantly better that 2 weeks of consecutive IBMT practice or relaxation
Yi-Yuan Tang. Mechanism of Integrative Body-Mind Training 385

training produce no significant changes in gray matter[18], and networks with the mental process. Previous studies
suggesting that longer training is required. have shown activation of a large overlapping network of
Recently, we reported that 11 h of IBMT over a 4-week attention-related brain regions such as prefrontal, midfron-
period improves the efficiency of executive attention and tal, ACC and parietal cortex during long-term mindfulness
[1]
alerting attention networks . IBMT also improves the basal training[31-33]. However, problems of subtle differences
immune system in a “dose-dependent” manner within the between control and experimental groups remain in these
range of training for between 3 h (over a 5-day period) and studies, because the two groups were not completely ran-
[19]
11 h . Based on this evidence, we hypothesized that 11 h domly assigned, and meditators differed greatly in the style
of IBMT training over 1 month would induce structural of meditation and the duration of previous practice. Thus,
changes associated with the ACC self-regulation networks. the random assignment of participants to conditions during
To test this hypothesis, we randomized 45 undergradu- short-term training such as IBMT is required to confirm
ates into IBMT and relaxation groups for 11 h of training, these findings[5-10].
30 min per session over a month. Before and after training, Attention involves three more specialized networks
brain images were acquired from each participant at rest for that carry out the functions of alerting, orienting and
analysis of white matter by diffusion tensor imaging, and of executive control[34]. The attentional networks, especially
gray matter by voxel-based morphometry. No areas showed the executive control network, play a key role in resolving
significant changes in gray and white matter after 11 h of conflicting thoughts and thus maintaining a tranquil state
relaxation training. However, we found significant changes in a restless mind[4,5,10].
in fractional anisotropy, an index of the integrity and ef- What do the perception of pain, either physical[35] or
ficiency of white matter, in the anterior corona radiata, an social[36], processing of reward[37], monitoring of conflict[38],
important white matter tract connecting the ACC, a key error detection[39], and theory of mind[40] all have in com-
node in the self-regulation network[6] (see ref. 6 for details). mon? They all activate an area of midfrontal cortex that
Because deficits in activation of the ACC are associ- includes the ACC. A further question is whether there is a
[20-23]
ated with many disorders , the ability to strengthen single function that requires all of these input signals. It has
cingulate connectivity through training could provide a been argued that this brain area regulates the processing
means for improving self-regulation and serve as a pos- of information from other networks, serving as part of an
[6]
sible therapy or prevention tool . Further, these findings executive attention network involved in the control of both
suggest using IBMT as a vehicle for understanding how cognition and emotion[9,10,34]. Executive attention is a net-
training influences the brain plasticity observed in func- work that includes the ACC and in adults is often activated
tional activation, functional connectivity, white matter by requiring a person to withhold a dominant response in
anisotropy, EEG coherence, gray matter volume, and other order to perform a subdominant one[34,41]. In developmental
measures. Further research is required to replicate them in psychology, the ability of a person to control thoughts,
a large sample size, and to test whether longer training in- feelings, and behavior is called self-regulation. The self-
duces gray matter neuroplasticity. regulatory view helps us to understand how brain networks
relate to important real-life functions[41].
5 Why ACC in IBMT practice?
Self-regulation is a natural function of networks,
Recently, mind-body interventions or mindfulness- acting to control the influx of information from the envi-
based interventions have been studied[24-31]. The mental ronment through orienting, in order to avoid conflicting
processes of these interventions require paying attention responses in behavior[43]. For example, in the Stroop ef-
and self-regulation, so it is reasonable to assume that the fect, word-reading is a highly overlearned response that
underlying neural mechanisms may share brain regions must be ignored in order to respond to the conflicting ink
386 Neurosci Bull December 1, 2011, 27(6): 383–388

color. Neuroimaging provides strong evidence that conflict ral mechanisms, the neuroscientific study of meditation is
tasks like the Stroop effect activate common areas of the still in its infancy. These findings need to be supplemented
ACC[38,42,43]. Support for the voluntary exercise of self- with more data, most crucially from longitudinal studies
regulation comes from studies that examine either the examining changes over time within the same individuals
instruction to control affect or the connections involved in randomized either to meditation training or to an active
the exercise of that control, which reveal activation in mid- control group.
frontal and cingulate areas[44,45]. If participants are required Future work is required to address at least the following
to select an input modality, the cingulate shows functional questions:
[46]
connectivity to the selected sensory system . Similarly, Which factors help and facilitate meditation? (These
when involved in emotional processing, the cingulate may include appropriate attention and effort, optimal body-
[47]
shows functional connections to limbic areas . These mind states, attitude and motivation.) What is the critical
findings support the role of cingulate areas in the control of period (i.e. age or duration of training) for this practice?
cognition and emotion. There is also evidence for anatomi- What are the critical ages (if any) for this training to
cal connectivity between the ventral cingulate and limbic achieve its greatest impact? What is the optimal “dose” of
[48]
areas and the dorsal cingulate, parietal, and frontal areas . particular types of meditation at different ages? How can
Taking these together, we argue that the ACC plays individual differences be matched to different meditation
an important role in executive function and self-regulation methods? How do gene-environment interactions affect
[5,6,9,34,41]
during meditation practice . practice? What are the peripheral biological consequences
Why is prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation not found of different forms of meditation? What are the relation-
in IBMT practice? One explanation is that IBMT practice ships between meditation and other states such as flow and
stresses no effort to control thoughts, but instead a state of awareness?
restful alertness that allows a high degree of awareness of In summary, IBMT improves attention and self-regula-
[1-6]
the body, breathing, and external instructions . This effort- tion through interaction between the central (brain) and the
less practice mainly involves ACC activity rather than the autonomic (body) nervous systems. IBMT changes the state
effortful control and demand in which requires the PFC to of brain and body to lead to positive outcomes in emotion,
maintain the meditative state, which is consistent with the cognition and behavior. IBMT practice needs an open mind,
transient hypofrontality hypothesis supported by neuroimag- patience and acceptance. It is an experiential learning journey.
ing results of decreased PFC activity during meditation and Future research will help uncover the underlying mechanisms
spontaneous improvisation[49-51]. In contrast, stronger PFC and enhance this type of mental training.
activation is detected in meditation if the practitioners are
required to exert strong control over attention and thoughts to Acknowledgements: I thank the staff of the Institute
[29-31]
maintain the meditative state . Further research warrants of Neuroinformatics in Dalian University of Technology
the exploration of the PFC-ACC relationship during medita- for data collection. This work was supported by the
tive states using different neuroimaging techniques such as National Natural Science Foundation of China (60971096)
fMRI functional connectivity, voxel-based morphometry, and National Basic Research Development Program of
cortical thickness and diffusion tensor imaging, which can be China (973 Program, 2012CB518200).
[29-31,52,53]
used to explore the neural mechanisms of meditation .

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整体身心调节法的机理
唐一源
大连理工大学神经信息学研究所及身心科学实验室，大连 116024

摘要：整体身心调节法源于东方身心科学，并结合了现代脑科学的最新发现。系列研究表明，整体身心调节法通
过中枢和自主神经系统的相互作用，可以提高注意力和自我调节能力，具有降低压力、保持健康和提高表现等作
用。本文概述了整体身心调节法的近期研究成果，提出状态改变机制，同时对未来本领域的发展趋势进行展望。
关键词：整体身心调节法；神经可塑性；自主神经系统；中枢神经系统

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