Neural correlates of focused attention during a brief mindfulness induction.
Janna Dickenson, Elliot T Berkman, Joanna J Arch, Matthew D. Lieberman
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience March 1, 2012 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nss030 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy novice practitioners of mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Pulmonary ventilation Brain mapping Awareness Attention Reference values Adult Middle aged Female |
| Key points | Focused breathing, a common mindfulness induction, recruited an attention network including parietal and prefrontal structures in healthy novices relative to an unfocused-attention control condition. Trait-level mindfulness during this comparison correlated with parietal activation, which the authors interpret as trait mindfulness positively moderating this activation and as evidence that brief mindfulness induction engages attention processes in novices. |
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation-the practice of attending to present moment experience and allowing emotions and thoughts to pass without judgment-has shown to be beneficial in clinical populations across diverse outcomes. However, the basic neural mechanisms by which mindfulness operates and relates to everyday outcomes in novices remain unexplored. Focused attention is a common mindfulness induction where practitioners focus on specific physical sensations, typically the breath. The present study explores the neural mechanisms of this common mindfulness induction among novice practitioners. Healthy novice participants completed a brief task with both mindful attention [focused breathing (FB)] and control (unfocused attention) conditions during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Relative to the control condition, FB recruited an attention network including parietal and prefrontal structures and trait-level mindfulness during this comparison also correlated with parietal activation. Results suggest that the neural mechanisms of a brief mindfulness induction are related to attention processes in novices and that trait mindfulness positively moderates this activation.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 75
- Brief mindfulness training for negative affectivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 25, 2018
- State and Training Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Brain Networks Reflect Neuronal Mechanisms of Its Antidepressant Effect Neural Plasticity 2016
- Mindfulness Meditation Training and Executive Control Network Resting State Functional Connectivity: A Randomized Controlled Trial Psychosomatic Medicine March 22, 2017
- The Meditative Mind: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of MRI Studies BioMed Research International 2015
- Mindfulness is associated with intrinsic functional connectivity between default mode and salience networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience August 25, 2015
and 70 more in the library
Cites 32
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects Psychological Inquiry October 19, 2007
- Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2003
and 27 more in the library