Mindfulness-based stress reduction training modulates striatal and cerebellar connectivity.
Emiliano Santarnecchi, Eutizio Egiziano, Sicilia D'Arista, Concetta Gardi, Sara M Romanella, Lucia Mencarelli, Simone Rossi, Mario Reda, Alessandro Rossi
Journal of Neuroscience Research May 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24798 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy individuals |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training program |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Brain connectivity Putamen |
| Key findings | MBSR training reduces local connectivity in the right anterior putamen and insula during mind-wandering and in the right cerebellum during meditation, and alters effective connectivity between the anterior cingulate cortex, putamen, and cerebellum. |
Abstract
Mindfulness is a meditation practice frequently associated with changes in subjective evaluation of cognitive and sensorial experience, as well as with modifications of brain activity and morphometry. Aside from the anatomical localization of functional changes induced by mindfulness practice, little is known about changes in functional and effective functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) connectivity. Here we performed a connectivity fMRI analysis in a group of healthy individuals participating in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training program. Data from both a "mind-wandering" and a "meditation" state were acquired before and after the MBSR course. Results highlighted decreased local connectivity after training in the right anterior putamen and insula during spontaneous mind-wandering and the right cerebellum during the meditative state. A further effective connectivity analysis revealed (a) decreased modulation by the anterior cingulate cortex over the anterior portion of the putamen, and (b) a change in left and right posterior putamen excitatory input and inhibitory output with the cerebellum, respectively. Results suggest a rearrangement of dorsal striatum functional and effective connectivity in response to mindfulness practice, with changes in cortico-subcortical-cerebellar modulatory dynamics. Findings might be relevant for the understanding of widely documented mindfulness behavioral effects, especially those related to pain perception.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
- Neurobiological Changes Induced by Mindfulness and Meditation: A Systematic Review. Biomedicines November 15, 2024
- Beyond the veil of duality—topographic reorganization model of meditation Neuroscience of Consciousness 2022
- Mindfulness in the focus of the neurosciences - The contribution of neuroimaging to the understanding of mindfulness. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience October 17, 2022
- Intermediate effects of mindfulness practice on the brain activity of college students: An EEG study IBRO Neuroscience Reports March 7, 2023
- Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation and hypnosis on magnetic resonance imaging: similarities and differences. A scoping review. Journal of neuroradiology = Journal de neuroradiologie March 1, 2024
and 7 more in the library
Cites 44
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- 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
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2007
- Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience June 11, 2012
and 39 more in the library