Potential for treating ADHD

This picture study shows a small but important step toward the much greater possibilities that meditation techniques can bring,” said neuroscientist Clifford Saron of the California-Davis Center for Mind and Brain. “We can imagine life as a series of snapshots—and realize how much we might miss.”

“The research program also includes treating conditions related to attention deficits,” Davidson explains.

"This is an absolute breakthrough for children with ADHD. I'm not opposed to medication, but there's likely a significant overdiagnosis of this disorder, and strategies like meditation should be an acceptable complement, or even an alternative in some cases, to pharmacotherapy," Davidson emphasizes. "Rigorous research is still needed to implement these methods in practice. However, our work provides enough evidence to justify systematically continuing research." Davidson predicts a surge in meditation research over the next five years, "because it's the beginning of demonstrating the benefits of mental flexibility, which comes with few—if any—side effects and enormous potential benefits, but which need to be documented through the most rigorous scientific studies."

Other research projects Davidson and his team are currently investigating the effects of meditation on pain perception, the regulation of inflammation in various organs, emotions, and the areas of the brain responsible for feelings.