Strengthened Hippocampal Circuits Underlie Enhanced Retrieval of Extinguished Fear Memories Following Mindfulness Training.
Gunes Sevinc, Britta K. Hölzel, Jonathan Greenberg, Tim Gard, Vincent Brunsch, Javeria A. Hashmi, Mark Vangel, Scott P. Orr, Mohammed R. Milad, Sara W. Lazar
Biological Psychiatry May 30, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.05.017 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 67 |
| Population | Adults participating in a 2-day fear conditioning and extinction protocol; 28 women in the mindfulness group and 15 women in the control group |
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Duration | 2-day fear conditioning and extinction protocol |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Hippocampus Animals Humans Magnetic resonance imaging Brain mapping Longitudinal studies Conditioning, classical Mental recall Adolescent Middle aged Female Extinction, psychological Young adult Emotional regulation FMRI Fear memory Extinction retrieval |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training was associated with differential engagement of the right supramarginal gyrus and hippocampal-cortical reorganization, including enhanced hippocampal connectivity to primary sensory cortex during retrieval of extinguished stimuli. The authors suggest hippocampal-dependent changes in contextual retrieval as one plausible neural mechanism through which mindfulness-based interventions enhance fear extinction and foster stress resilience. |
Abstract
Background: The role of hippocampus in context-dependent recall of extinction is well recognized. However, little is known about how intervention-induced changes in hippocampal networks relate to improvements in extinction learning. In this study, we hypothesized that mindfulness training creates an optimal exposure condition by heightening attention and awareness of present moment sensory experience, leading to enhanced extinction learning, improved emotion regulation, and reduced anxiety symptoms.
Methods: We tested this hypothesis in a randomized controlled longitudinal study design using a 2-day fear conditioning and extinction protocol. The mindfulness training group included 42 participants (28 women) and the control group included 25 participants (15 women).
Results: We show that mindfulness training is associated with differential engagement of the right supramarginal gyrus as well as hippocampal-cortical reorganization. We also report enhanced hippocampal connectivity to the primary sensory cortex during retrieval of extinguished stimuli following mindfulness training.
Conclusions: These findings suggest hippocampal-dependent changes in contextual retrieval as one plausible neural mechanism through which mindfulness-based interventions enhance fear extinction and foster stress resilience.
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
Cited by 24
- Hippocampal circuits underlie improvements in self‐reported anxiety following mindfulness training Brain and Behavior September 18, 2020
- Effects of web-based mindfulness training on psychological outcomes, attention, and neuroplasticity. Scientific Reports December 19, 2023
- Punishment on Pause: Preliminary Evidence That Mindfulness Training Modifies Neural Responses in a Reactive Aggression Task Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience July 23, 2021
- Childhood adversity severity modulates the associations between adaptive psychological changes and amygdala volumetric changes in response to behavioral interventions. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports 2024
- 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
and 19 more in the library
Cites 18
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations Psychological Medicine November 27, 2009
- Investigation of mindfulness meditation practitioners with voxel-based morphometry Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience December 3, 2007
and 13 more in the library