Short-term mindfulness practice attenuates reward prediction errors signals in the brain.
Ulrich Kirk, Giuseppe Pagnoni, Sébastien Hétu, Read Montague
Scientific Reports May 6, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43474-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Naive volunteers without prior meditation experience |
| Interventions | Mindfulness training Active control training One-time mindfulness induction |
| Duration | 8 weeks of mindfulness training |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Brain Humans Longitudinal studies Reward Attention Anticipation, psychological |
| Key findings | Eight weeks of mindfulness training reduced putamen responses to positive prediction errors during both primary- and secondary-reward conditioning compared with active control training, and increased posterior insula activation to primary rewards regardless of predictability. The authors argue that present-moment and interoceptive attention may reduce predictability effects in reward processing while enhancing the response to actual reward delivery. |
Abstract
Abstract: Activity changes in dopaminergic neurons encode the ongoing discrepancy between expected and actual value of a stimulus, providing a teaching signal for a reward prediction process. Previous work comparing a cohort of long-term Zen meditators to controls demonstrated an attenuation of reward prediction signals to appetitive reward in the striatum. Using a cross-commodity design encompassing primary- and secondary-reward conditioning experiments, the present study asks the question of whether reward prediction signals are causally altered by mindfulness training in naïve subjects. Volunteers were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of mindfulness training (MT), active control training (CT), or a one-time mindfulness induction group (MI). We observed a decreased response to positive prediction errors in the putamen in the MT group compared to CT using both a primary and a secondary-reward experiment. Furthermore, the posterior insula showed greater activation to primary rewards, independently of their predictability, in the MT group, relative to CT and MI group. These results support the notion that increased attention to the present moment and its interoceptive features - a core component of mindfulness practice - may reduce predictability effects in reward processing, without dampening (in fact, enhancing) the response to the actual delivery of the stimulus.
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 10
- 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 Meditation and Network Neuroscience: Review, Synthesis, and Future Directions. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Brief mindfulness-based meditation enhances the speed of learning following positive prediction errors Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology January 17, 2024
- Brief mindfulness meditation increases risk-taking behavior. Scientific Reports January 30, 2026
- Striatal functional connectivity associated with Sahaja Yoga meditation. Scientific Reports April 25, 2025
and 5 more in the library
Cites 10
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Mindfulness Training Improves Working Memory Capacity and GRE Performance While Reducing Mind Wandering Psychological Science March 28, 2013
- Mindfulness meditation training alters cortical representations of interoceptive attention Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience June 11, 2012
- Interoception Drives Increased Rational Decision-Making in Meditators Playing the Ultimatum Game Frontiers in Neuroscience 2011
- Restructuring reward processing with Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement: novel therapeutic mechanisms to remediate hedonic dysregulation in addiction, stress, and pain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences April 1, 2016
and 5 more in the library