Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction-related changes in posterior cingulate resting brain connectivity
T. Kral, Ted Imhoff‐Smith, D. Dean, D. Grupe, N. Adluru, Elena Patsenko, J. Mumford, R. Goldman, M. Rosenkranz, R. Davidson
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience July 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz050 (opens in new tab) via Semantic Scholar
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractMindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) increases resting-state functional connectivity between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in healthy, meditation-naïve adults. This effect did not persist at a 5.5-month follow-up, but more practice time was linked to greater connectivity increases. The connectivity change was associated with increased microstructural connectivity of a white matter tract connecting these regions and with improved self-reported attention.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 140 |
| Population | Healthy, meditation-naïve adults |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, follow-up at ~5.5 months |
| Keywords | Medicine Psychology |
| Key finding | MBSR increases PCC-DLPFC resting connectivity, which is related to increased practice time, attention, and structural connectivity. |
Abstract
Abstract Mindfulness meditation training has been shown to increase resting-state functional connectivity between nodes of the frontoparietal executive control network (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC]) and the default mode network (posterior cingulate cortex [PCC]). We investigated whether these effects generalized to a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course and tested for structural and behaviorally relevant consequences of change in connectivity. Healthy, meditation-naïve adults were randomized to either MBSR (N = 48), an active (N = 47) or waitlist (N = 45) control group. Participants completed behavioral testing, resting-state fMRI scans and diffusion tensor scans at pre-randomization (T1), post-intervention (T2) and ~5.5 months later (T3). We found increased T2–T1 PCC–DLPFC resting connectivity for MBSR relative to control groups. Although these effects did not persist through long-term follow-up (T3–T1), MBSR participants showed a significantly stronger relationship between days of practice (T1 to T3) and increased PCC–DLPFC resting connectivity than participants in the active control group. Increased PCC–DLPFC resting connectivity in MBSR participants was associated with increased microstructural connectivity of a white matter tract connecting these regions and increased self-reported attention. These data show that MBSR increases PCC–DLPFC resting connectivity, which is related to increased practice time, attention and structural connectivity.