Interesting, but what I really want to know is do those changes in the brain's structure manifest in any sort of measurable cognitive improvement. That should be the next thing to look at.
Actually, I think the article said that was what their previous study looked at. Having found cognitive improvements, they went looking for brain changes.
Per the work of Clifford Saron of UC Davis and the Shamatha Project, I believe they have correlated it with stronger attentional capacities. More interestingly they also have found a link (if indirect - a product of stress reduction) with greater telomerase activity, which could translate into greater longevity. http://www.ls.ucdavis.edu/dss/news-and-research/shamatha-pro...
