Effects of Mindfulness Training on Emotion Regulation in Patients With Depression: Reduced Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Activation Indexes Early Beneficial Changes
Psychosomatic Medicine May 5, 2021 Thorsten Barnhofer, Tim Jonas Reeß, Maria Fißler et al. 24 citations
Mindfulness-based interventions reduce activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex when depressed patients view angry faces, a change linked to improved ability to decenter from negative thoughts, reduced brooding, and fewer depressive symptoms. In a randomized trial, patients with recurrent depression received either a two-week mindfulness-based intervention or psychoeducation and rest. After the mindfulness intervention, decreased right dlPFC activation correlated with greater decentering, less brooding, and lower symptom scores. The psychoeducation group showed decreased amygdala response to happy faces. The findings suggest mindfulness may help patients avoid elaborating or suppressing negative emotions, a potential mechanism for preventing mood escalation.