Can you explain one study in detail?

One study discussed on the Huberman Lab focuses on examining the benefits and mechanisms of meditation and breath work through rodent studies. Andrew Huberman highlights the importance of such studies because they can delve deeply into mechanistic science, clarifying how practices like meditation produce real effects on neural circuitry, which are often confounded by placebo effects in human studies1. Rodent models provide a unique advantage as these animals are not susceptible to placebo effects, allowing for a clearer understanding of the physiological impacts of meditation practices1.

This kind of research is vital for identifying the minimum effective thresholds needed to achieve meaningful neural changes through meditation1. By understanding these thresholds, scientists aim to establish more concrete guidelines on how much meditation or breath work is actually beneficial, instead of the broad recommendations currently used1.