The effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on affective memory recall dynamics in depression: a mechanistic model of rumination
Marieke Karlijn van Vugt, Peter eHitchcock, Ben eShahar, Willoughby eBritton
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience May 22, 2014 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00257 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 52 |
| Population | Individuals with recurrent depression |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy |
| Topics | Meditation Depression |
| Keywords | Memory Emotional processing Free recall |
| Key findings | MBCT prevented deterioration toward more negative and less positive bias in initial recall and reduced the tendency to sustain trains of negative words, compared to wait-list controls. |
Abstract
Objectives: Converging research suggests that mindfulness training exerts its therapeutic effectson depression by reducing rumination. Theoretically, rumination is a multifaceted construct thataggregates multiple neurocognitive aspects of depression, including poor executive control,negative and overgeneral memory bias, and persistence or stickiness of negative mind states.Current measures of rumination, most often self-reports, do not capture these different aspects ofruminative tendencies, and therefore are limited in providing detailed information about themechanisms of mindfulness.Methods: We developed new insights into the potential mechanisms of rumination, based onthree model-based metrics of free recall dynamics. These three measures reflect the patterns ofmemory retrieval of valenced information: The probability of first recall (Pstart) whichrepresents initial affective bias, the probability of staying with the same valence category ratherthan switching, which indicates strength of positive or negative association networks (Pstay);and probability of stopping (Pstop) or ending recall within a given valence, which indicatesdrift persistence or stickiness of a mind state. We then investigated the effects of MBCT(N=29) vs wait-list control (N=23) on these recall dynamics in a Randomized Controlled Trial(RCT) in individuals with recurrent depression. Participants completed a standard laboratorystressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), to induce negative mood and activate ruminativetendencies. Then, participants completed a free recall task consisting of three word lists. Thisassessment was conducted both before and after treatment or wait-list.Results: While MBCT participant’s Pstart remained relatively stable, controls showed multipleindications of depression-related deterioration towards more negative and less positive bias.Following the intervention, MBCT participants decreased in their tendency to sustain trains ofnegative words
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 36
- Investigating the phenomenological matrix of mindfulness-related practices from a neurocognitive perspective. American Psychologist October 1, 2015
- The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences December 21, 2018
- Neural correlates of nondual awareness in meditation. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 2014
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Psychiatry. FOCUS: The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry January 24, 2018
- The balanced mind: the variability of task-unrelated thoughts predicts error monitoring. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
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