The Neuroscience of Meditation

Dr. Yi-Yuan Tang is a Professor of Psychological Sciences, Presidential Endowed Chair in Neuroscience at Texas Tech University and founding Director of Texas Tech Neuroimaging Institute. He is also Professor of Internal Medicine at TTU Health Science Center, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, University of Oregon. He is Fellow of Association for Psychological Sciences (APS), Fellow of American Psychological Association (APA) and Associate Editor, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. Dr. Tang's basic research covers cognitive, social and affective neuroscience/psychology, for example, brain mechanisms of attention, mathematics, language, decision-making and creativity, learning or training related neuroplasticity. He applies behavioral, multimodal neuroimaging, psychophysiology and genetic analyses in his research. In his translational work, he develop a novel mindfulness based preventive intervention (Integrative Body-Mind Training, IBMT) and have studied its effects in large randomized clinical trials in healthy and patient populations in China and the U.S. since 1990's. Research indicate that IBMT intervention reduces stress, improves attention and cognitive performance, emotion regulation and immune function, social behavior and neuroplasticity over the life span. He has applied IBMT in addiction, mood disorders, ADHD, MCI and TBI.