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Mindfulness-based therapy regulates brain connectivity in major depression

Michael Lifshitz, Matthew D. Sacchet, Julia M. Huntenburg, Thomas Thiery, Yan Fan, Matti Gärtner, Simone Grimm, Emilia Winnebeck, Maria Fißler, Titus A. Schroeter, Daniel S. Margulies, Thorsten Barnhofer

May 29, 2019 DOI: 10.31231/osf.io/ctkwq (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial
Population Clinically depressed patients
Intervention Mindfulness-based therapy
Topics Depression Meditation
Keywords Functional connectivity Intervention counseling Depression economics Resting State FMRI Psychotherapist Randomized controlled trial Clinical psychology Cognition
Citations 1
Key findings A brief, clinically effective mindfulness intervention functionally decouples top-down control regions from brain areas implicated in sensory, affective, and attentional processing in patients with major depressive disorder.

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with abnormal functional interactions among large-scale brain networks. Here we report findings from a randomized, active-controlled trial examining whether mindfulness-based therapy can regulate specific patterns of resting-state functional connectivity in clinically depressed patients. We show that a brief, clinically effective mindfulness intervention functionally decouples top-down control regions from brain areas implicated in sensory, affective, and attentional processing. While previous work has demonstrated the clinical impact of mindfulness training, the present findings shed light on the precise neural targets, providing new insight into the specificity of this therapeutic approach.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on depression, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
A Randomized Trial of an N-methyl-D-aspartate Antagonist in Treatment-Resistant Major Depression Subjects with DSM-IV major depression (treatment resistant) 2006 Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind crossover study n = 18
Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients 2000 Randomized controlled trial n = 145
Psilocybin produces substantial and sustained decreases in depression and anxiety in patients with life-threatening cancer: A randomized double-blind trial Cancer patients with life-threatening diagnoses and symptoms of depression and/or anxiety 2016 Randomized controlled trial n = 51
Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial Patients with cancer-related anxiety and depression 2016 Double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial n = 29
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

Cites 4

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