Fortifying the known benefits of meditation towards making brain cell more efficient, researchers at UCLA have come ahead with more benefits of years of disciplined meditation.

A study by researchers at the Neuro Imaging Lab at the University of California came at the conclusion that there is an increased level of gyrification in people who meditate for years.

Gyrification is the folding of the cerebral cortex that is believed to help the brain process information efficiently.  This process of folding creates thin furrows as well as folds. There are called sulci and gyri respectively. Scientists presume there is a relation between the amount of folding and the ability of the brain to interpret information, make decisions, form memories and so forth. 

The researchers were also able to find a relation between the level of gyrification and the number of years a person has been meditating for. Experts claim this also prove the brain’s ability to better adapt to changes in the surrounding, something that is called neuroplasticity of the brain.

49 participants were initially recruited for the study. MRI was taken of 23 and compared with that of 16 control subjects. The participating meditators came from various meditation groups and societies and were practicing meditation for over 20 years.

The difference in gryrification levels between the two groups was profound. Researchers also established that the longer the person has been meditating, higher is the amount of gyrification in the cortex.