In a recent paper in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, specialists with the University of California, Los Angeles in the US make a case of how, according to their investigations, there is nothing quite like meditation to keep the brain young.

Long story short, these scientists say that, having taken the time to study the brains of several dozen volunteers, they found evidence that people who meditate on a regular basis tend to lose fewer neurons as they age than those who never take the time to relax their mind.

No, really, the researchers even have a series of pictures that prove that meditation does, in fact, benefit the brain. The images in question, available below, show that the brain regions affected by aging, depicted in red, are fewer and less widespread in guys and gals who meditate.

How aging and meditation affect the brain

Writing in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, the University of California, Los Angeles scientists explain that, when in their mid-to-late-20s, folks start to experience a gradual decrease in the volume and the weight of their brain.

That's right, those of you who are now in your mid-to-late-20s should know that, while you are reading this, your brain is ever so slightly shrinking. Spooky, right?

While looking at the brains of 50 volunteers who had gotten into the habit of meditating years back and 50 individuals who had never found this practice to their liking, the specialists found that the study participants in the first group were in better shape.

Specifically, it appears that, although all the volunteers showed signs of gray matter loss as a result of aging, the brains of the study participants who meditated looked better and packed a whole lot more functional neurons.

“We expected rather small and distinct effects located in some of the regions that had previously been associated with meditating. Instead, what we actually observed was a widespread effect of meditation that encompassed regions throughout the entire brain,” explains study co-author Florian Kurth.

The implications of this discovery

Seeing how neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's all boil down to damage to the nervous system - hence their name - the University of California, Los Angeles researchers cannot help but wonder whether it might not be possible to use meditation to address them.

More precisely, the scientists argue that, in light of their findings, it's not all that fat-fetched to assume that meditation could help delay the onset of various neurodegenerative disorders, maybe even alleviate some of their symptoms, by safeguarding the brain.