Mindfulness-based therapy improves brain functional network reconfiguration efficiency
Translational Psychiatry November 11, 2023 Wan Lin Yue, Kwun Kei Ng, Amelia Jialing Koh et al. 32 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions improve cognition and emotion regulation, and this study examined how they change functional brain activity. Using a breath-counting task and resting-state fMRI, the researchers measured how efficiently the brain reconfigures its activity patterns between rest and task states. Elderly participants with sleep difficulties were assigned to either mindfulness-based therapy or a sleep hygiene active control. The mindfulness group showed improved self-reported mindfulness and greater brain functional reconfiguration efficiency in the executive control, default mode, and salience networks compared to the control group. However, these brain changes were not associated with behavioral improvements, suggesting that neuroplasticity from regular mindfulness practice may bring the brain's intrinsic functional configuration closer to a state required for mindful awareness.