MBSR vs aerobic exercise in social anxiety: fMRI of emotion regulation of negative self-beliefs.
Philippe R. Goldin, Michal Ziv, Hooria Jazaieri, Kevin Hahn, James J. Gross
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience May 13, 2012 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss054 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 56 |
| Population | Patients with generalized social anxiety disorder |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) aerobic exercise (AE) stress reduction program |
| Topics | Meditation Anxiety |
| Keywords | Brain Humans Magnetic resonance imaging Exercise Analysis of variance Stress, psychological Social behavior Self concept Awareness Attention Anxiety disorders Adult Female Relaxation therapy Functional neuroimaging |
| Key findings | MBSR produced greater reductions in negative emotion during attention regulation of negative self-beliefs and greater increases in attention-related parietal cortical activity than an aerobic exercise program. More meditation practice was associated with larger decreases in negative emotion and social anxiety symptom severity and stronger parietal responses. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is thought to reduce emotional reactivity and enhance emotion regulation in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD). The goal of this study was to examine the neural correlates of deploying attention to regulate responses to negative self-beliefs using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Participants were 56 patients with generalized SAD in a randomized controlled trial who were assigned to MBSR or a comparison aerobic exercise (AE) stress reduction program. Compared to AE, MBSR yielded greater (i) reductions in negative emotion when implementing regulation and (ii) increases in attention-related parietal cortical regions. Meditation practice was associated with decreases in negative emotion and social anxiety symptom severity, and increases in attention-related parietal cortex neural responses when implementing attention regulation of negative self-beliefs. Changes in attention regulation during MBSR may be an important psychological factor that helps to explain how mindfulness meditation training benefits patients with anxiety disorders.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
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- Prospects for a clinical science of mindfulness-based intervention. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- Neural mechanisms of symptom improvements in generalized anxiety disorder following mindfulness training NeuroImage: Clinical 2013
- A Pilot Study of the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Brain Response to Traumatic Reminders of Combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry August 25, 2017
- Don’t be afraid, try to meditate- potential effects on neural activity and connectivity of psilocybin-assisted mindfulness-based intervention for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews June 6, 2022
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Cites 16
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine May 1, 2009
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse Psychotherapy Research March 1, 2003
- Theta Phase Synchrony and Conscious Target Perception: Impact of Intensive Mental Training Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience September 29, 2008
- A Randomized Trial of MBSR Versus Aerobic Exercise for Social Anxiety Disorder Journal of Clinical Psychology July 1, 2012
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