The Lion's Pride , Vol. 5 (Feb. 2016) | Page 73

1. Posterior Cingulate- Involved in mind wandering and self-relevance 2. The left part of the Hippocampus- Assists in learning, cognition memory and emotional regulation 3. The Tempura Parietal Junction- Associated with perspective taking, empathy and compassion 4. An area of the brain stem called Pons- Where a lot of regulatory neurotransmitters are produced. Lastly brain scans showed a decrease in grey matter in the Amygdala. This is the fight or flight part of the brain which is important for anxiety, fear, and stress in general. The change in Amygdala was directly correlated to the reduction of stress (Schulte, 2015).  Researchers at the University of Lueven study looked at the experiences of 408 students from five different schools in Flanders, Belgium between the ages of 13-20. Researchers found that students who participated in the mindfulness program exhibited decreased symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression both immediately after and six months after the program (Gregorie, 2013).