Long-term meditation practice is linked to structural changes in the brain. Magnetic resonance imaging of 20 experienced Insight meditation practitioners showed greater cortical thickness in regions involved in attention, interoception, and sensory processing, including the prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula, compared to matched controls. The difference in prefrontal thickness was most pronounced in older participants, suggesting meditation may counteract age-related cortical thinning. Thickness in two regions also correlated with meditation experience. These findings provide the first structural evidence that meditation practice can induce experience-dependent cortical plasticity.
A mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) program tailored for bipolar disorder was tested in 12 individuals. After 12 group sessions and at a 3-month follow-up, participants showed increased mindfulness, reduced residual depressive mood symptoms, fewer attentional difficulties, and improvements in emotion regulation, psychological well-being, positive affect, and psychosocial functioning. The findings suggest MBCT may help manage residual mood symptoms and improve overall functioning in people with bipolar disorder.
People with bipolar disorder often experience cognitive difficulties such as problems with executive functioning, even when their mood is stable. In an open pilot trial of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT), participants reported significant improvements in executive functioning, memory, and the ability to start and complete tasks, as measured by the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale. These cognitive improvements were linked to increases in mindful, nonjudgmental awareness of thoughts and feelings, but not to reductions in depression. Gains tended to fade after treatment ended, though some improvements in executive functioning persisted for three months. MBCT may serve as an adjunct to medication for improving cognition in bipolar disorder.