Tracey J. Shors

2 papers in the library · 22 citations · publishing 2022

Papers

Mental and physical training with meditation and aerobic exercise improved mental health and well-being in teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience August 23, 2022 Docia Demmin, Steven M. Silverstein, Tracey J. Shors 22 citations

A 6-week virtual program combining meditation with aerobic exercise, called Mental and Physical (MAP) Training, reduced anxiety and work-related stress in K-12 teachers compared to a no-training control group. Participants in the MAP Training group also reported improvements in depressive symptoms, rumination, work-related quality of life, perceived stress, self-compassion, executive functioning, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and fewer sleep disturbances. No changes were observed in the no-training group. The results suggest that virtual MAP Training is an effective intervention for improving mental health and well-being among teachers and may enhance resilience to stressful events like the COVID-19 pandemic.

DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.847301 Anxiety Meditation Mental health Population +9

MAP training: combining meditation and aerobic exercise reduces depression and rumination while enhancing synchronized brain activity

Brandon Alderman, Ryan Olson, C.J. Brush et al.

Combining meditation and aerobic exercise in a single session may be particularly effective for reducing depressive symptoms and rumination. In an 8-week program with two weekly sessions, each consisting of 30 minutes of focused-attention meditation and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, 22 people with major depressive disorder and 30 healthy individuals both reported fewer depressive symptoms afterward. Among those with depression, brain activity measures (N2 and P3 components) increased during a task requiring cognitive control, suggesting enhanced neural responses for detecting and resolving conflicting information. The findings indicate that pairing mental and physical training may improve cognitive control and reduce ruminative thinking beyond the effects of either activity alone.

DOI: 10.31231/osf.io/c765a