There Is More to Mindfulness Than Emotion Regulation: A Study on Brain Structural Networks

Dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation are closely linked and both improve with long-term meditation practice, yet the neural basis of dispositional mindfulness independent of emotion regulation had not been identified. Using a novel brain structural network analysis, researchers examined relationships between structural networks and dispositional mindfulness measured by the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), while accounting for emotion regulation difficulties. Different brain regions were associated with each scale: MAAS scores related to bilateral hippocampus and parahippocampal and fusiform gyri; FFMQ total scores related to right insula, bilateral amygdala, and the same gyri. These results suggest that the two instruments measure different characteristics involving different brain systems, though areas linked to emotional reactivity and semantic processing generally relate to dispositional mindfulness regardless of instrument.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation are two psychological constructs closely interrelated, and both appear to improve with the long-term practice of mindfulness meditation. These constructs appear to be related to subcortical, prefrontal, and posterior brain areas involved in emotional processing, cognitive control, self-awareness, and mind wandering. However, no studies have yet discerned the neural basis of dispositional mindfulness that are minimally associated with emotion regulation. In the present study, we use a novel brain structural network analysis approach to study the relationship between structural networks and dispositional mindfulness, measured with two different and widely used instruments [Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)], taking into account the effect of emotion regulation difficulties. We observed a number of different brain regions associated with the different scales and dimensions. The total score of FFMQ and MAAS overlap with the bilateral parahippocampal and fusiform gyri. Additionally, MAAS scores were related to the bilateral hippocampus and the FFMQ total score to the right insula and bilateral amygdala. These results indicate that, depending on the instrument used, the characteristics measured could differ and could also involve different brain systems. However, it seems that brain areas related to emotional reactivity and semantic processing are generally related to Dispositional or trait mindfulness (DM), regardless of the instrument used.