From default-mode to action-mode: biphasic network reconfiguration with meditation in schizophrenia
Qing Wang, Lizhao Du, Jialing Sheng, Qiao Wang, Yuan Shi, Ting Xue, Zhong Sun, Yingying Tang, Donghong Cui
medRxiv November 20, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.11.20.25340575 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Longitudinal |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Male inpatients with schizophrenia |
| Intervention | clinician-guided meditation plus rehabilitation |
| Duration | 8-month intervention |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation |
| Key findings | Daily clinician-guided meditation plus rehabilitation improved symptoms by 20.8% at 8 months and cognition by 7.6% at 3 months, with a biphasic brain network reconfiguration pattern. |
Abstract
Whether and how meditation benefits severe psychosis over clinically meaningful timescales remains unclear. We embedded longitudinal neuroimaging in an eight-month, parallel group randomized clinical trial (ChiCTR1800014913) of male inpatients (n=64) with schizophrenia receiving daily clinician-guided meditation plus rehabilitation versus rehabilitation alone. Meditation improved the symptoms by 11.8% at 3 months and 20.8% at 8 months (average treatment effects of PANSS decrease rates) and increase the cognition (RBANS) by 7.6% at 3 months that plateaued. Early cognition improvement predicts but not mediates later symptom relief. Resting-state fMRI revealed a biphasic pattern related to symptom improvement: baseline default-mode-cerebellar complexity predicted 3-month benefit, whereas 3-month action-mode/sensorimotor-executive complexity predicted 8-month gains, which was mirrored by functional connectivity prediction models. These findings support a biphasic network reconfiguration model for meditation: early default-mode-cerebellar involvement followed by later action-mode engagement, and provide phase-specific, information-based markers for personalized meditation in schizophrenia.
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 15
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis Neuron May 10, 2023
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- Meditation leads to reduced default mode network activity beyond an active task Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience April 22, 2015
and 10 more in the library