sourceforge.net). The BOLD timecourse was extracted from the seed region, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed between that timecourse and every other voxel in the brain. Correlation coefficients were converted using Fisher’s transform to normally distribute scores for second level analysis, to compare between groups, meditators and novices. Second level maps were thresholded at P < 0.05 FWE, cluster corrected using a cluster-forming threshold of P < 0.05. Finally, although motion

outliers were removed using ART, group differences in motion may influence functional connectivity results. We thus calculated average frame-to-frame displacement Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical for each group (Van Dijk et al. 2012). We found no significant difference in motion between Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical meditators and novices (T = 0.23; P = 0.8192). Statistical analysis Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 19.0 (http://www-01.ibm.com/software/analytics/spss/software). For demographics, independent sample t-tests were used to determine differences between meditators and novices in age and years of education, and chi-square tests were used to determine differences between meditators and novices in gender. For self-report, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical multivariate analysis

of variance was used to determine differences between meditators and novices in mind wandering. All tests of significance are reported as two-sided as means ± standard deviation. Results Self-report Meditators reported less mind EVP4593 clinical trial wandering during meditation relative to novices across all meditation conditions (F(1,44) = 7.57, P = 0.009), and this finding was apparent for loving kindness meditation (novices = 3.8 ± 1.8, meditators = 2.8 ± 1.4). In addition, both meditators and novices Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical reported being able to follow the instructions to a high degree for loving kindness meditation (novices = 8.6 ± 1.4, meditators = 8.8 ± 1.2). Main effect of loving kindness meditation Whole brain contrast maps revealed

a significant difference in BOLD signal during loving kindness meditation between meditators and novices, such that meditators Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical showed less BOLD signal in clusters including the left postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule and precentral gyrus; left supramarginal gyrus; left angular gyrus; left middle and superior temporal gyrus; left middle cingulate cortex (MCC); left posterior cingulate cortex and bilateral precuneus; bilateral postcentral gyrus, right supplementary motor area, left Electron transport chain paracentral gyrus and left MCC; bilateral temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, occipital gyrus and cerebellum; left hippocampus; and right precentral gyrus (Fig. ​(Fig.1;1; all slices displayed in Fig. S1). No regions showed greater BOLD signal in meditators compared to novices. Figure 1 Brain regions showing reduced BOLD signal during loving kindness meditation in meditators as compared to novices (P < 0.05 FWE, cluster corrected; slices displayed left to right).