Silence Practice Modulates the Resting State Functional Connectivity of Language Network with Default Mode and Dorsal Attention Networks in Long-Term Meditators

The practice of silence is integral to some meditation traditions. Research is lacking on how silence practice affects brain connectivity. We hypothesized that silent, retreat-based meditation practice would reduce the connection between the language network from core cognitive networks such as the dorsal attention network (DAN) and default mode network (DMN).

In a retrospective study, we analyzed resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) data in 13 long-term Vipassana meditators (LTM) (~ 11,000 average hours of lifetime meditation experience) and healthy controls (n = 34) with no experience in meditation. We also compared our results with a large-scale dataset—Human Connectome Project (n = 169) (HCP). We compared the within and across functional connectivity among the three networks and correlated meditation experience and days spent in silence with the network connectivities.

We found that the meditators have decoupled functional connectivity strengths (F_(2,204) = 10.27, p < 0.01) between the DMN and language network (M =  − 0.05, SD = 0.19) as compared to HCP controls (M = 0.14, SD = 0.14). The DAN had a negatively correlated connectivity strength with the language network in meditators (r =  − 0.20) as compared to both control groups (r = 0.02) and a strong inverse relation (r =  − 0.54) was found between DAN-language connectivity and the number of days spent in silent retreat.

Our study finds a potential role of silence training in changing the connectivities of three cognitive networks, DMN, DAN, and language network, resulting in reduced thoughts during meditation and a deeper experience of meditation.

This study is not preregistered.