Meditation 'brain training' clues

Meditating monks are giving clues about how the brain's basic responses can be overridden, researchers say.

Australian scientists gave Buddhist monks vision tests, where each eye was concurrently shown a different image.

Most people's attention would automatically fluctuate - but the monks were able to focus on just one image.

Writing in Current Biology, the scientists say their ability to override this basic mental response indicates how the brain can be trained.