Impact of short- and long-term mindfulness meditation training on amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli.
Tammi R. A. Kral, Brianna S. Schuyler, Jeanette A. Mumford, Melissa A. Rosenkranz, Antoine Lutz, Richard J. Davidson
Neuroimage July 7, 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.07.013 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 97 |
| Population | Healthy, non-clinical adults |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Meditation training was associated with less amygdala reactivity to positive pictures and increased amygdala-VMPFC connectivity, but no group differences were found for negative pictures. |
Abstract
ABSTRACT Meditation training can improve mood and emotion regulation, yet the neural mechanisms of these affective changes have yet to be fully elucidated. We evaluated the impact of long‐ and short‐term mindfulness meditation training on the amygdala response to emotional pictures in a healthy, non‐clinical population of adults using blood‐oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging. Long‐term meditators (N=30, 16 female) had 9081h of lifetime practice on average, primarily in mindfulness meditation. Short‐term training consisted of an 8‐week Mindfulness‐ Based Stress Reduction course (N=32, 22 female), which was compared to an active control condition (N=35, 19 female) in a randomized controlled trial. Meditation training was associated with less amygdala reactivity to positive pictures relative to controls, but there were no group differences in response to negative pictures. Reductions in reactivity to negative stimuli may require more practice experience or concentrated practice, as hours of retreat practice in long‐term meditators was associated with lower amygdala reactivity to negative pictures – yet we did not see this relationship for practice time with MBSR. Short‐term training, compared to the control intervention, also led to increased functional connectivity between the amygdala and a region implicated in emotion regulation – ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) – during affective pictures. Thus, meditation training may improve affective responding through reduced amygdala reactivity, and heightened amygdala–VMPFC connectivity during affective stimuli may reflect a potential mechanism by which MBSR exerts salutary effects on emotion regulation ability. HIGHLIGHTSMindfulness meditation related to lower amygdala activation to positive pictures.Amygdala‐prefrontal coupling increased after Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction.Amygdala activation to negative pictures was lower with more practice on retreat.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 126
- Mindfulness Meditation and Psychopathology Annual Review of Clinical Psychology December 11, 2018
- Characterization and prediction of acute and sustained response to psychedelic psilocybin in a mindfulness group retreat. Scientific Reports October 24, 2019
- Studying the experience of meditation through Micro-phenomenology Current Opinion in Psychology October 25, 2018
- The neuroscience of meditation: classification, phenomenology, correlates, and mechanisms. Progress in Brain Research 2019
- Mindfulness meditation increases default mode, salience, and central executive network connectivity Scientific Reports August 2, 2022
and 121 more in the library
Cites 17
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- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
and 12 more in the library