recent literature concerning the effect of meditation on brain volume

I encountered a recent study on some neurologic changes associated with long-term meditation from the journal "Neuroimage" Volume 45(2009)672-678. Meditators in the study had experience ranging from 5-46 years in a variety of disciplines (zazen was among them) with daily practice ranging from 10-90 minute sessions. The meditators showed an increase in gray matter in the areas of the right orbito-frontal cortex and hippocampus regions compared to non-meditating controls. The hippocampus is part of the limbic system, which relates to explicit memory and emotions. Maybe this is part of the reason that for me more meditation means less studying in school. The study's authors associate these changes with increased ability to "cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage in mindful behaviors." Presuming that the authors were not Buddhist (who knows..maybe they were) I find it interesting that they chose the term "mindful". Prior to reading this study I was vaguely aware of claims of an increase in some aspect of brain size from meditation, but found this study particularly interesting due to its specific findings with relation to the hippocampus and also due to its mention of zazen. I have attached the article if anyone is interested.

CZ