Absence of structural brain changes from mindfulness-based stress reduction: Two combined randomized controlled trials
Tammi R. A. Kral, Kaley Davis, Cole Korponay, Matthew J. Hirshberg, Rachel Hoel, Lawrence Y. Tello, Robin I. Goldman, Melissa A. Rosenkranz, Antoine Lutz, Richard J. Davidson
Science Advances May 20, 2022 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abk3316 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 218 |
| Population | Meditation-naïve adults |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, postintervention assessment |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Mindfulness-based stress reduction Randomized controlled trial Reduction mathematics Stress linguistics Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 67 |
| Key findings | MBSR produced no neuroplastic changes in gray matter volume, gray matter density, or cortical thickness compared to either an active control or waitlist group. |
Abstract
Studies purporting to show changes in brain structure following the popular, 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course are widely referenced despite major methodological limitations. Here, we present findings from a large, combined dataset of two, three-arm randomized controlled trials with active and waitlist (WL) control groups. Meditation-naïve participants ( n = 218) completed structural magnetic resonance imaging scans during two visits: baseline and postintervention period. After baseline, participants were randomly assigned to WL ( n = 70), an 8-week MBSR program ( n = 75), or a validated, matched active control ( n = 73). We assessed changes in gray matter volume, gray matter density, and cortical thickness. In the largest and most rigorously controlled study to date, we failed to replicate prior findings and found no evidence that MBSR produced neuroplastic changes compared to either control group, either at the whole-brain level or in regions of interest drawn from prior MBSR studies.