Changes in the neural correlates of self-blame following mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in remitted depressed participants.
Psychiatry research. Neuroimaging July 23, 2020 K. Williams, R. Elliott, S. Mckie et al.
After mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), people in remission from major depressive disorder showed reduced brain activation in the bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate and medial superior frontal gyrus when blaming themselves compared to blaming others. Increased self-kindness after MBCT correlated with reduced activation in the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus during self-blame. These findings suggest MBCT may alter neural responses to self-blame, possibly through increasing self-kindness. The study was small, with 16 participants, and lacked a control group, so results require confirmation.