Differential effects of mindfulness treatment and mobile neurofeedback on event-related potentials in early posterior negativity in cancer patients: a clinical-experimental parallel group design
Madeleine Fink, Kira Schmidt, Axel Kowalski, Saskia Pasche, Calvin Albrot, Marvin Krawutschke, Theresa Schweig, Mitra Tewes, Eva-Maria Skoda, Martin Teufel, Bernhard W. Müller
Frontiers in Psychology October 1, 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1395032 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Cancer patients |
| Duration | 10 sessions each |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cancer Epn Neurofeedback EEG-Biofeedback Mindfulness therapy Emotion regulation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness therapy and neurofeedback differentially modulate early posterior negativity (EPN) for emotional images in cancer patients, with neurofeedback increasing EPN for negative stimuli and mindfulness increasing EPN for positive stimuli. |
Abstract
IntroductionCancer frequently leads to psychological challenges, among them emotion regulation problems. These can be alleviated with the help of mindfulness therapies or neurofeedback (NF) interventions. Possible intervention effects on emotion procession can be detected in clinical EEG studies by exploring event-related potentials, e.g., early posterior negativity (EPN), which recently has been established to investigate emotional processing and represents very early attention to affective stimuli. Therefore, this clinical-experimental study investigated the efficacy of mindfulness and NF (10 sessions each) on the EPN in oncology patients.MethodThe study enrolled 42 cancer patients (age: 31–73 years; gender: 28 female, 14 male). The study design was an RCT with a parallel group [NF (n = 21) versus mindfulness (n = 21)] waitlist paradigm. EEG recordings in an oddball task with neutral, rare positive and negative valence and high and low arousal stimuli were performed at three measurement time points (T0 = before waitlist, T1 = before intervention, T2 = after intervention). Following preprocessing, data from electrodes O1, Oz and O2 were analyzed for EPN amplitudes.ResultsResponse time did not differ across groups and conditions. Comparing EPN at T1 and T2, there was a significant interaction of time, valence, and intervention (p = 0.042). Descriptive statistics showed increased EPN for negative stimuli after the NF intervention (T1 to T2), while EPN for positive stimuli only slightly increased. For mindfulness, positive stimuli evoked stronger amplitudes after the intervention, while EPN for negative stimuli increased from T1 to T2.ConclusionDistinct effects were observed for the EPN for pictures with negative valence. Here, it is presumed that mindfulness treatment led to a refocusing of attention with a focus on positive valence, whereas NF seems to entail a different processing of images with negative valence and is therefore to be seen more in the sense of a confrontational approach. Our results suggest that both interventions are suitable for modulating EPN. However, it is not clear to what extent the effects are due to the interventions alone and how other factors might have affected the amplitudes, which highlights the need for further research in this area.
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
Cites 9
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
- Mindfulness‐based interventions for psychological and physical health outcomes in cancer patients and survivors: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials Psycho-Oncology September 11, 2019
- Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations PLoS One May 9, 2019
- Consolidation and prediction of long-term treatment effect of group and online mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for distressed cancer patients Acta oncologica June 22, 2018
- Improvements in emotion regulation following mindfulness meditation: Effects on depressive symptoms and perceived stress in younger breast cancer survivors. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology April 2017
and 4 more in the library