Functional Brain Changes During Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Associated With Tinnitus Severity
Benjamin Zimmerman, Megan Finnegan, Subhadeep Paul, Sara Schmidt, Yihsin Tai, Kelly Roth, Yuguo Chen, Fatima T. Husain
Frontiers in Neuroscience July 24, 2019 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00747 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 12 |
| Population | Adults with chronic tinnitus |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, with follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Tinnitus Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Resting State MRI Functional MRI Graph connectivity analysis |
| Key points | Resting-state functional connectivity among the default mode network, cingulo-opercular network, and amygdala decreased across the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention, and only resting-state connectivity between the amygdala, dorsal attention network, and fronto-parietal network significantly predicted tinnitus severity. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based therapies have been introduced as a treatment option to reduce the psychological severity of tinnitus, a currently incurable chronic condition. This pilot study of twelve subjects with chronic tinnitus investigates the relationship between measures of both task-based and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and measures of tinnitus severity, assessed with the Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI). MRI was measured at three time points: before, after, and at follow-up of an 8-week long mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention. During the task-based fMRI with affective sounds, no significant changes were observed between sessions, nor was the activation to emotionally salient compared to neutral stimuli significantly predictive of TFI. Significant results were found using resting state fMRI. There were significant decreases in functional connectivity among the default mode network, cingulo-opercular network, and amygdala across the intervention, but no differences were seen in connectivity with seeds in the dorsal attention network (DAN) or fronto-parietal network and the rest of the brain. Further, only resting state connectivity between the brain and the amygdala, DAN, and fronto-parietal network significantly predicted TFI. These results point to a mostly differentiated landscape of functional brain measures related to tinnitus severity on one hand and mindfulness-based therapy on the other. However, overlapping results of decreased amygdala connectivity with parietal areas and the negative correlation between amygdala-parietal connectivity and TFI is suggestive of a brain imaging marker of successful treatment.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- The Impact of Mindfulness on Functional Brain Connectivity and Peripheral Inflammation in Breast Cancer Survivors with Cognitive Complaints Cancers July 15, 2023
- Exploring the effects of mindfulness meditation on resting-state functional connectivity: an overview. Reviews in the Neurosciences June 3, 2026
- Visual Snow Syndrome Improves With Modulation of Resting-State Functional MRI Connectivity After Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy: An Open-Label Feasibility Study. Journal of neuro-ophthalmology : the official journal of the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society March 1, 2024
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Recurrent MDD Patients With Residual Symptoms: Alterations in Resting-State Theta Oscillation Dynamics Associated With Changes in Depression and Rumination. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022
- Network-level functional topological changes after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in mood dysregulated adolescents at familial risk for bipolar disorder: a pilot study BMC Psychiatry May 2, 2021
and 1 more in the library
Cites 19
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse Psychotherapy Research March 1, 2003
- Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Neuroscience 2013
- Neural mechanisms of symptom improvements in generalized anxiety disorder following mindfulness training NeuroImage: Clinical 2013
and 14 more in the library