Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on bereavement grief: Alterations of resting-state network connectivity associate with changes of anxiety and mindfulness.
Feng-Ying Huang, Ai-Ling Hsu, Yi-Ping Chao, Chloe Mu-Hsuan Shang, Jaw-Shiun Tsai, Changwei W Wu
Human Brain Mapping October 17, 2020 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25240 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Prospective observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 19 |
| Population | Bereaved individuals who had lost a loved one |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) |
| Duration | 8-week MBCT program |
| Measures | mindfulness scale, anxiety, emotion regulation ability |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Brain Nerve net Humans Magnetic resonance imaging Prospective studies Bereavement Grief Rest Adult Middle aged Female Cognitive behavioral therapy Emotion regulation Functional connectivity Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy |
| Key findings | After 8 weeks of MBCT, bereaved participants showed reduced resting-state connectivity among salience, default-mode, and fronto-parietal networks, but not during emotional arousal, which the authors suggest reflects less spontaneous mind wandering. Connectivity changes between subcortical regions such as the caudate and cortical networks were associated with changes in mindfulness, anxiety, and emotion regulation. The authors propose that MBCT may enhance spontaneous emotion regulation in the bereaved via internetwork reorganization. |
Abstract
Bereavement, the experience of losing a loved one, is one of the most catastrophic but inevitable events in life. It causes grief and intense depression-like sadness. Recent studies have revealed the effectiveness and proficiency of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in emotional regulation among bereavement populations. MBCT improves the well-being of the bereaved by enhancing cognitive performances. Regarding the neural correlates of bereavement grief, previous studies focused on the alleviation of emotion-cognition interferences at specific brain regions. Here, we hypothesized that the bereavement grief fundamentally triggers global alterations in the resting-state brain networks and part of the internetwork connectivity could be reformed after MBCT intervention. We recruited 19 bereaved individuals who participated the 8-week MBCT program. We evaluated (a) the large-scale changes in brain connectivity affected by the MBCT program; as well as (b) the association between connectivity changes and self-rated questionnaire. First, after MBCT, the bereaved individuals showed the reduction of the internetwork connectivity in the salience, default-mode and fronto-parietal networks in the resting state but not under emotional arousal, implying the alleviated attention to spontaneous mind wandering after MBCT. Second, the alterations of functional connectivity between subcortical (e.g., caudate) and cortical networks (e.g., cingulo-opercular/sensorimotor) were associated with the changes of the mindfulness scale, the anxiety and the emotion regulation ability. In summary, MBCT could enhance spontaneous emotion regulation among the bereaved individuals through the internetwork reorganizations in the resting state.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Patterning of Cognitive and Somatic Processes in the Self-Regulation of Anxiety: Effects of Meditation versus Exercise Regular practitioners of physical exercise or meditation | 1978 | Retrospective study | n = 77 |
| Dynamic coupling of whole-brain neuronal and neurotransmitter systems Healthy humans | 2020 | Observational study | |
| Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 135,095 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 15
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review of Neurocognitive Outcomes and Applications for Mental Health and Well-Being. Journal of Clinical Medicine March 3, 2025
- Interoceptive awareness: MBSR training alters information processing of salience network Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience March 21, 2023
- Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation and hypnosis on magnetic resonance imaging: similarities and differences. A scoping review. Journal of neuroradiology = Journal de neuroradiologie March 1, 2024
- Mindfulness and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease July 21, 2021
- Mental Gravity: Depression as Spacetime Curvature of the Self, Mind, and Brain Entropy August 30, 2023
and 10 more in the library
Cites 14
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Empirical explorations of mindfulness: Conceptual and methodological conundrums. Emotion February 1, 2010
- Neural mechanisms of symptom improvements in generalized anxiety disorder following mindfulness training NeuroImage: Clinical 2013
- Mindfulness is associated with intrinsic functional connectivity between default mode and salience networks Frontiers in Human Neuroscience August 25, 2015
and 9 more in the library