Dynamical repertoire of brain networks in mindfulness cognitive behavioural therapy during rumination: A randomized controlled trial
Jakub Vohryzek, Anne Maj van der Velden, Willem Kuyken, Jesus Montero-Marin, Guusje Collin, Morten L. Kringelbach, Eric Ruhé
medRxiv February 7, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.04.25321569 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 80 |
| Population | Patients with recurrent depression |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy |
| Duration | Three months follow-up |
| Topics | Default mode network Depression Meditation |
| Keywords | Rumination Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Clinical psychology Resting State FMRI Randomized controlled trial Depression economics Cognition Psychotherapist Mood |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | MBCT training altered the fractional occupancy of a 'Salience-somatomotor' brain substate during depressive rumination, and these changes were associated with reduced depressive symptoms after treatment and at three months follow-up. |
Abstract
Background: Depression is a prevalent and debilitating affective disorder characterised by the dominance and persistence of depressive rumination. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is an effective treatment for recurrent depression developed specifically to target rumination and recurrence risk by training metacognitive awareness and adaptive attention, emotion and self-regulation skills. Yet, the underlying mechanisms by which mindfulness training impacts maladaptive depressive rumination is not well understood, and a deeper understanding of its effects on the complex brain dynamics during depressive rumination is needed.
Method: In a randomised controlled functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study (N = 80), we used LEiDA (Leading Eigenvector Dynamics Analysis) to determine the key substates during resting state fMRI of an experimentally induced rumination state before and after treatment with MBCT (N = 27) for recurrent depression in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone (N = 21). We determined the probability of occurrence (fractional occupancy) and the duration (lifetime) of underlying substates (phase-locking patterns) before and after treatment for both groups.
Results: We found that MBCT training compared with TAU altered the fractional occupancy of a 'Salience-somatomotor' substate during the depressive rumination induction. These dynamic network changes in turn were associated with reduced depressive symptoms after treatment and at three months follow up.
Conclusion: In a depressive ruminative state, changes in the dynamics of the somatosensory-salience network following mindfulness training was associated with improved clinical outcomes which provides insight into candidate brain mechanisms or markers of treatment response.