Paulus Graph (IMAGE) University of California - San Diego Caption The bar graph shows that US military personnel who received mindfulness training (red) had reduced activity in a region of the brain knowns as the insula, also known as the insular cortex, which acts as the brain's connector strip. Meditation appears to change how people's brains respond to and recover from highly stressful events. Credit UC San Diego School of Medicine Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.