Convergent Neural Networks in Meditation and Interoception: A Coordinate-Based Meta-Analysis of fMRI Studies

Meditation and interoception are closely related processes involved in attention, emotion regulation, self-awareness, and the perception of bodily states. Neuroimaging studies have suggested that both rely on overlapping brain regions, particularly the insular cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), yet their neural relationship has rarely been investigated directly. The present thesis aimed to examine the extent to which meditation and interoception share common neural mechanisms by conducting a coordinate-based meta-analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. Activation Likelihood Estimation (ALE) meta-analyses were performed on studies investigating meditation and interoceptive processing, followed by conjunction and contrast analyses to identify shared and distinct patterns of brain activation. Results showed that meditation was consistently associated with activation in the ACC and medial frontal regions involved in attentional control and self-regulation. Interoception, in contrast, engaged a broader network including the bilateral insula, supplementary motor area, middle cingulate cortex (MCC), sensorimotor cortices, and parietal regions linked to bodily awareness and multisensory integration. The analyses revealed convergence between the meditation and interoception literature within an insula–cingulate/medial frontal network, while no significant differences emerged between the two domains. The findings suggest that meditation and interoceptive processing rely on partially shared neural substrates and support the idea that meditation may function, at least in part, as a structured form of interoceptive attention.