The Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on Impulsivity and its Neurobiological Correlates in Healthy Adults
Cole Korponay, Daniela Dentico, Tammi R. A. Kral, Martina Ly, Ayla Kruis, Kaley Davis, Robin I. Goldman, Antoine Lutz, Richard J. Davidson
Scientific Reports August 19, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47662-y (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial with active and wait-list control groups, plus cross-sectional comparison of long-term meditators and meditation-naïve participants Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Impulsivity Barratt impulsiveness scale Attentional control Mindfulness meditation Cognition Clinical psychology |
| Citations | 49 |
| Key findings | Neither short- nor long-term mindfulness practice may be effective for reducing impulsive behavior from inhibitory motor control or planning capacity deficits in healthy adults. |
Abstract
Interest has grown in using mindfulness meditation to treat conditions featuring excessive impulsivity. However, while prior studies find that mindfulness practice can improve attention, it remains unclear whether it improves other cognitive faculties whose deficiency can contribute to impulsivity. Here, an eight-week mindfulness intervention did not reduce impulsivity on the go/no-go task or Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), nor produce changes in neural correlates of impulsivity (i.e. frontostriatal gray matter, functional connectivity, and dopamine levels) compared to active or wait-list control groups. Separately, long-term meditators (LTMs) did not perform differently than meditation-naïve participants (MNPs) on the go/no-go task. However, LTMs self-reported lower attentional impulsivity, but higher motor and non-planning impulsivity on the BIS-11 than MNPs. LTMs had less striatal gray matter, greater cortico-striatal-thalamic functional connectivity, and lower spontaneous eye-blink rate (a physiological dopamine indicator) than MNPs. LTM total lifetime practice hours (TLPH) did not significantly relate to impulsivity or neurobiological metrics. Findings suggest that neither short- nor long-term mindfulness practice may be effective for redressing impulsive behavior derived from inhibitory motor control or planning capacity deficits in healthy adults. Given the absence of TLPH relationships to impulsivity or neurobiological metrics, differences between LTMs and MNPs may be attributable to pre-existing differences.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 18
- The Effect of Mindfulness-based Programs on Cognitive Function in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Neuropsychology Review August 4, 2021
- Neurobiological Changes Induced by Mindfulness and Meditation: A Systematic Review. Biomedicines November 15, 2024
- Absence of structural brain changes from mindfulness-based stress reduction: Two combined randomized controlled trials Science Advances May 20, 2022
- Beyond the veil of duality—topographic reorganization model of meditation Neuroscience of Consciousness 2022
- Transcranial focused ultrasound to the posterior cingulate cortex modulates default mode network and subjective experience: an fMRI pilot study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2024
and 13 more in the library
Cites 11
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Meditation and attention: A comparison of the effects of concentrative and mindfulness meditation on sustained attention Mental Health, Religion & Culture May 1, 1999
- Mindfulness Meditation for Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review Substance Abuse October 1, 2009
- Enhanced response inhibition during intensive meditation training predicts improvements in self-reported adaptive socioemotional functioning. Emotion April 1, 2011
- Does the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire measure what we think it does? Construct validity evidence from an active controlled randomized clinical trial. Psychological Assessment October 13, 2015
and 6 more in the library