Scientific Reports
November 22, 2019
Isaac N Treves, Lawrence Y. Tello, Richard J. Davidson et al.
118 citations
A meta-analysis of 15 studies (17 samples, 879 adults) found a small positive relationship between mindfulness and the accuracy of body awareness, with an effect size of g = 0.21. When analyzed by study design, only randomized controlled trials showed a significant link (g = 0.20). Heterogeneity was low, but low fail-safe N estimates reduce confidence in the findings. The results suggest a small but potentially detectable association between mindfulness and body awareness accuracy.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
November 1, 2024
Isaac N Treves, Kannammai Pichappan, Jude Hammoud et al.
35 citations
Greater trait mindfulness, measured by self-report scales, is consistently linked with reduced amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli, increased cortical thickness in frontal and insular regions, and decreased connectivity within the default-mode network, converging with findings from intervention studies and mindfulness experts. However, associations with EEG metrics and between-network resting-state fMRI remain inconclusive. The authors recommend larger samples, multivariate approaches, and careful reliability testing, urging a move away from simplistic explanations of mindfulness and brain function.
BMC Psychiatry
October 17, 2023
Paul A Bloom, David Pagliaccio, Jiahe Zhang et al.
17 citations
Adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) may benefit from a non-invasive technique that combines mindfulness with real-time fMRI neurofeedback (mbNF) to reduce activity in the default mode network (DMN), a brain network linked to rumination. In a planned trial, 90 adolescents aged 13–18 with MDD will be randomly assigned to receive either 15 or 30 minutes of mbNF. During the procedure, participants practice mindfulness while a ball on a screen moves based on their brain activity, targeting the frontoparietal network relative to the DMN. The study will test whether mbNF reduces functional connectivity within the DMN and whether longer dosing produces greater effects, with secondary outcomes including changes in depressive symptoms and rumination.
Mindfulness
November 1, 2023
Isaac N Treves, Halie A Olson, Ola Ozernov-Palchik et al.
15 citations
An 8-week randomized controlled trial with 279 U.S. children ages 8-10 tested a remote, app-based mindfulness intervention (Inner Explorer) against two audiobook control groups. Over 80% of children completed the intervention. Children who used the mindfulness app reported reduced self-perceived stress, and parents reported reduced negative affect in their children. However, no significant reductions in anxiety or depression symptoms were found. Between-group effect sizes were small. Regular use—at least 30 days of practice within the study period—was linked to lower child negative affect (by parental report), lower parental stress, and lower child self-perceived stress. The findings suggest that home use of a mindfulness app can benefit children's emotional well-being if used regularly.
Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
January 1, 2025
Sebastian Ehmann, Idil Sezer, Isaac N Treves et al.
9 citations
Long-term meditators show a distinct pattern of cognitive and neural changes from prolonged mindfulness practice, including enhanced sensory integration, reduced negative emotional responses to pain, more rational decision-making, and altered self-awareness. Neuroimaging reveals increased activation in brain networks linked to interoception and pain (salience network), reduced connectivity between executive and salience networks, diminished fear and amygdala activation, and altered default-mode network activity associated with emotional neutrality and non-ordinary states of consciousness. Methodological limitations prevent firm conclusions about lasting trait effects, and a unified neurophenomenological framework is needed to systematically study advanced meditation's states and stages.
Journal of Medical Internet Research
April 17, 2025
Isaac N Treves, Zia Bajwa, Keara D Greene et al.
8 citations
Consumer-grade neurofeedback devices used during meditation produce a modest reduction in psychological distress compared to control conditions, but no improvements in cognition, mindfulness, or physiological health. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 21 randomized studies (763 participants in training trials, 167 in within-participant designs) found a small effect for distress reduction (g=-0.16) but no evidence that the devices help users modulate brain targets or deepen meditation. Most studies used the Muse device and mindfulness apps as controls. The authors suggest observed benefits may stem from placebo effects (neurosuggestion) rather than genuine neurofeedback. Adverse effects were rarely assessed.
Human Brain Mapping
January 1, 2025
Isaac N Treves, Aaron Kucyi, Madelynn Park et al.
8 citations
Trait mindfulness—the tendency to attend to present experience non-judgmentally—is linked to better mental health, but its neural basis remains unclear. In the largest resting-state fMRI study of trait mindfulness to date, involving 367 meditation-naïve adults across three sites, no connections predicted overall trait mindfulness. However, neural models for two subscales, Acting with Awareness and Non-judging, were identified. Positive networks for these subscales involved distinct fronto-parietal and default-mode networks, while negative networks overlapped across subscales and included somatomotor, visual, and default-mode regions. Only negative networks generalized to predict subscale scores in some out-of-sample tests. Predictions negatively correlated with a mind-wandering model. The findings provide preliminary evidence for generalizable connectivity models of mindfulness facets, but incomplete generalization across sites and model overlap highlight the challenge of identifying robust brain markers.
Mindfulness
April 8, 2025
Cindy E Li, Kimberly L. Wang, Isaac N Treves et al.
7 citations
A six-week app-based mindfulness intervention reduced anxiety and perceived stress in autistic adults. In a randomized controlled trial with 89 participants, those who used a customized version of the Healthy Minds Program app showed significant decreases in anxiety and stress compared to a wait-list control group, with medium to large effect sizes. Benefits extended to reduced negative affect and increased trait mindfulness, and were maintained six weeks after the intervention ended. The findings demonstrate that a remote, self-guided mindfulness program is both feasible and effective for this population, offering an accessible alternative to in-person treatment.
Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science
November 1, 2024
Isaac N Treves, Hilary A Marusak, Alexandra Decker et al.
7 citations
A significant finding reveals that adolescents with higher trait mindfulness experience lower anxiety and depression symptoms. An analysis of 106 adolescents, ages 12 to 15, identified a reliable brain state characterized by hyperconnectivity, showing an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.65. This state, marked by elevated positive connectivity between networks, was positively correlated with self-reported trait mindfulness. While most dynamic brain states were unreliable across scans, this hyperconnected state may reflect enhanced awareness and arousal in those exhibiting higher mindfulness traits.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
September 15, 2024
Isaac N Treves, Keara D Greene, Zia Bajwa et al.
7 citations
preprint
A systematic review of EEG and fMRI studies combining mindfulness meditation with neurofeedback found that fMRI studies primarily aimed to downregulate the default-mode network (DMN). Although decreases in DMN activations were observed during neurofeedback, there is a lack of evidence for transfer effects, and most studies lacked adequate controls such as sham neurofeedback, so DMN decreases may be confounded by general task-related deactivation. EEG studies most robustly supported modulation of theta band activity. Both EEG and fMRI mindfulness-based neurofeedback have been implemented with high fidelity in clinical populations, but mental health benefits have not been established. The review recommends sham-controlled RCTs and clear reporting using CRED-NF guidelines.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging
April 1, 2025
Saampras Ganesan, Fernando A Barrios, Ishaan Batta et al.
6 citations
Meditation practices, which have shown therapeutic benefits for conditions like depression, pain, addiction, and anxiety, have been studied with neuroimaging over the past decade. However, existing neuroscientific models are based on small, heterogeneous datasets, limiting generalizability and replicability. The ENIGMA-Meditation consortium is the first worldwide collaborative effort to conduct systematic meta- and mega-analyses of globally distributed neuroimaging data using standardized methods. This framework aims to improve statistical power and address multidomain heterogeneity in meditation practice types, experience, and experimental design. The consortium will generate rigorous neuroscientific insights into the mechanisms underlying meditation's therapeutic effects on psychological and cognitive attributes.
Network neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
January 1, 2025
Isaac N Treves, Winson F.z. Yang, Terje Sparby et al.
6 citations
Advanced meditation involves states and stages that develop with experience. A case study using 7-T fMRI and dynamic functional connectivity analysis of a meditator practicing jhāna advanced absorptive concentration meditation (ACAM-J) identified three distinct brain states: a default-mode network (DMN)-anticorrelated state, a hyperconnected state, and a sparsely connected state. The DMN-anticorrelated state was more prevalent during ACAM-J than control conditions and increased with deeper meditation. The hyperconnected state, marked by elevated thalamocortical and somatomotor connectivity, was also more common during ACAM-J but decreased over the session, corresponding to reports of wider attention and reduced physical sensations. This suggests that functional neuroimaging can track the dynamics of altered states of consciousness in advanced meditators.
Scientific Reports
November 6, 2025
Isaac N Treves, Ya-Yun Chen, Caitlyn L Wilson et al.
5 citations
A meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials with 2,191 participants found that mindfulness-based interventions produce a small-to-medium improvement in self-reported interoceptive awareness (g = 0.31). Mindfulness-based programs showed the largest effects (g = 0.41). Improvements in interoception were similar in size to improvements in self-reported mindfulness and were linked to reductions in psychological distress. No evidence of publication bias was detected, and no other factors such as practice dosage or clinical sample significantly moderated the results. These findings suggest mindfulness interventions can positively alter how people subjectively experience bodily sensations, which may contribute to better mental health.
Psychophysiology
May 1, 2025
Isaac N Treves, Anna O Tierney, Simon B. Goldberg et al.
5 citations
A breath-counting task designed to measure mindfulness in adults was tested in 78 adolescents with high rumination. The task showed fair reliability but did not correlate positively with self-reported mindfulness, either as a trait or in daily life. Unexpectedly, more mindful adolescents performed worse on breath counting, and the task showed negative correlations with observing emotions and body sensations and with nonreactivity. Breath-counting performance was also unrelated to clinical, personality, and executive functioning measures. The findings indicate that, in this population, breath counting may measure only a narrow form of sustained attention and may not capture broader mindfulness qualities or have predictive validity.
Brain Imaging and Behavior
April 1, 2025
Jovan Jande, Isaac N Treves, Samantha L Ely et al.
4 citations
A systematic narrative review of neuroimaging studies on mindfulness-based interventions in youth (ages 5–18) found that such interventions may alter brain connectivity and activity. Analyzing 13 studies with 467 participants, most used a pre-post design with resting-state fMRI. Consistent patterns included increased functional connectivity within and between the salience, frontoparietal, and default mode networks, enhancements in white matter microstructure, and decreased default mode network activation with heightened salience network reactivity during mindfulness practice. These changes may support self-regulation and cognitive control, but methodological variability and small sample sizes limit generalizability.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology
July 4, 2024
Isaac N Treves, Hilary A Marusak, Alexandra Decker et al.
3 citations
preprint
A highly reliable brain state linked to trait mindfulness was identified in adolescents, highlighting its potential role in mental health. In a study of 106 participants aged 12 to 15, one hyperconnected state showed good reliability (ICC=0.65) and correlated positively with self-reported trait mindfulness. Adolescents exhibiting higher trait mindfulness experienced lower anxiety and depression symptoms. While most dynamic brain states were unreliable across scans, this particular state suggests that increased mindfulness may enhance awareness and arousal, offering insights into adolescent mental well-being.
Neuroimage
November 19, 2025
Sebastian Ehmann, Idil Sezer, Arielle S Keller et al.
2 citations
Attention regulation is a core mechanism of mindfulness meditation. Long-term meditation enhances trait-level improvements in executive attention, sustained attention, orienting, and reduces the attentional blink. Preliminary evidence also shows improvements in response inhibition, alertness, and less mind-wandering. Alertness benefits most from long-term and intensive practice. Attention-based techniques outperform non-attention-based ones, while observe-and-release techniques aid orienting and detection of closely spaced stimuli. These findings suggest that meditation enhances attention according to training specificity, but meditative development is non-linear and multidimensional, requiring balanced cultivation of multiple faculties. Methodological limitations, such as heterogeneous designs and insufficient state-trait differentiation, complicate interpretations.
October 28, 2024
Sebastian Ehmann, Idil Sezer, Isaac N Treves et al.
2 citations
preprint
Long-term meditators show a distinct pattern of cognitive and brain changes, including enhanced integration of sensory and cognitive processes, reduced emotional reactivity, more rational decision-making, and altered self-awareness. Neuroimaging reveals increased activity in brain networks related to interoception and pain, along with reduced connectivity between executive and salience networks, decreased amygdala response to fear, and changes in default-mode network activity linked to emotional neutrality and non-ordinary states of consciousness. Methodological limitations, such as varied meditation practices among participants, prevent clear conclusions about specific cognitive changes over time. A unified research framework is needed to systematically study advanced meditation's unfolding stages and endpoints.
April 8, 2024
Saampras Ganesan, Aki Tsuchiyagaito, Greg J Siegle et al.
2 citations
preprint
Meditation practices, which have been adapted into manualized interventions for conditions like depression, pain, addiction, and anxiety, show therapeutic promise, but their neuroscientific basis remains unclear. Current neuroimaging studies rely on small, heterogeneous datasets that vary in practice types, participant experience, clinical targets, and imaging methods, limiting generalizability and replicability. To address this, the ENIGMA-Meditation consortium was formed as a global collaboration to conduct systematic meta- and mega-analyses of distributed neuroimaging data using standardized methods. This framework aims to improve statistical power and rigorously characterize the neural mechanisms underlying meditation's effects on psychological and cognitive attributes, advancing the field of contemplative neuroscience.
bioRxiv Preprint Server
January 20, 2024
Aaron Kucyi, Nathan Anderson, Tiara Bounyarith et al.
2 citations
preprint
Mind-wandering, a common daily mental activity, varies uniquely from person to person. In three individuals who each reported hundreds of mind-wandering episodes during multiple fMRI sessions, reliable links between mind-wandering and default mode network (DMN) activation emerged when brain networks were analyzed within each person. However, the timing of spontaneous DMN activity relative to subjective reports, and the broader networks activated or deactivated during mind-wandering, differed across individuals. Whole-brain connectivity patterns that predicted mind-wandering within an individual did not fully generalize to others, and predictive models from larger datasets largely failed when applied to these densely-sampled individuals. This work demonstrates both conserved and variable neural representations of mind-wandering, highlighting the value of personalized approaches.
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991)
February 5, 2025
Isaac N Treves, Aaron Kucyi, Anna O Tierney et al.
1 citation
During a breath-counting task, 72 adolescents showed increased static connectivity within attention-direction and orienting networks and anticorrelations between attention networks and the default mode network compared to rest. Dynamic connectivity analysis revealed four distinct brain states, including one anticorrelated with the default mode network that was proportionally more present during the task. Brain state markers distinguished breathing tasks from rest and momentary on-task from off-task attention, but no brain states reflected between-individual behavioral variability.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
July 14, 2024
Isaac N Treves, Aaron Kucyi, Madelynn Park et al.
1 citation
preprint
Trait mindfulness—the tendency to attend to present-moment experience non-judgmentally—is linked to better mental health, but its neural basis remains unclear. In the largest resting-state fMRI study of trait mindfulness to date, involving 367 adults across three samples, researchers used connectome predictive modeling to test whether brain connectivity patterns could predict mindfulness scores. No connections predicted overall trait mindfulness, but models for two subscales—Acting with Awareness and Non-judging—were identified. Positive networks for these subscales involved fronto-parietal and default-mode networks, respectively. Negative networks, which overlapped across subscales, included somatomotor, visual, and default-mode connections. Only negative networks generalized to predict subscale scores in some out-of-sample datasets, and predictions correlated negatively with a mind-wandering model. The incomplete generalization and model overlap highlight the challenge of identifying robust brain markers for mindfulness facets.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
February 10, 2026
Isaac N Treves, Clare Shaffer, Alexandra Decker et al.
Lapses in attention to internal bodily sensations, such as the breath, are predicted by behavioral and neural markers that overlap with those for lapses in external attention but also involve distinct brain systems. In 93 adolescents with depressive symptoms performing a breath-counting task during fMRI, the strongest predictors of attention lapses were the timing and variability of button responses. Breathing variability and coupling between breathing and behavior showed weaker predictive value. Brain connectivity models, incorporating default-mode, dorsal attention, ventral attention, and somatomotor networks, predicted lapses with modest accuracy and marginally outperformed behavior-only models. These findings suggest shared and unique mechanisms for interoceptive attention failures.
Research Square
June 4, 2025
Isaac N Treves, Ya-Yun Chen, Caitlyn L Wilson et al.
Mindfulness-based interventions produce small-to-medium improvements in self-reported interoceptive awareness, according to a meta-analysis of 29 randomized controlled trials involving 2,191 participants (77.8% female, mean age 32.8 years). The overall effect size was g = 0.31, with mindfulness-based programs showing the largest effects (g = 0.41). Improvements in interoception were similar in size to improvements in self-reported mindfulness and were linked to reductions in psychological distress. No evidence of publication bias was found, and no other moderators—such as practice dosage or clinical sample—were significant. The findings suggest that mindfulness training leads to adaptive changes in how people subjectively experience bodily signals, which may contribute to better mental wellbeing.
Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience
June 23, 2026
Isaac N Treves, Clare Shaffer, Alexandra Decker et al.
During mind-body practices like meditation, attention to breathing often lapses. This study examined behavioral, physiological, and neural signals preceding such interoceptive lapses in 93 adolescents with elevated anxiety and depression symptoms, who performed a breath-counting task during fMRI. The strongest predictors of lapses were the timing and variability of button responses. Breathing variability and breathing-behavior synchronization had smaller predictive value. Whole-brain connectivity models, incorporating default-mode, attention, and somatomotor networks, predicted lapses moderately and marginally outperformed behavior-only models. Some markers overlapped with known exteroceptive lapses (reaction time variability), while others were unique (perceptual coupling with attention networks). These brain-body markers may aid real-time monitoring during mind-body interventions.