Reduced interference in working memory following mindfulness training is associated with increases in hippocampal volume
Brain Imaging and Behavior March 17, 2018 Jonathan Greenberg, Victoria Romero, Seth Elkin-Frankston et al. 69 citations
Proactive interference—when old information disrupts learning new material—can be reduced by mindfulness training. In a randomized trial, 79 participants completed either a 4-week web-based mindfulness program or a creative writing control. The mindfulness group showed lower proactive interference error rates after training. No group differences in hippocampal volume emerged, but improvements in proactive interference were linked to volume increases in the left hippocampus. These findings suggest mindfulness training protects against proactive interference, with benefits tied to hippocampal structural changes, and may have implications for conditions like aging, depression, PTSD, and childhood adversity where working memory and hippocampal volume are compromised.