Enhanced tactile acuity through mental states.

ABSTRACT: Bodily training typically evokes behavioral and perceptual gains, enforcing neuroplastic processes and affecting neural representations. We investigated the effect on somatosensory perception of a three-day Zen meditation exercise, a purely mental intervention. Tactile spatial discrimination of the right index finger was persistently improved by only 6 hours of mental-sensory focusing on this finger, suggesting that intrinsic brain activity created by mental states can alter perception and behavior similarly to external stimulation.

SUBMITTER: Philipp ST 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4550890 | biostudies-other | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other