Brain network topology predicts participant adherence to mental training programs.
Marzie Saghayi, Jonathan Greenberg, Christopher O'Grady, Farshid Varno, Muhammad Ali Hashmi, Bethany Bracken, Stan Matwin, Sara W. Lazar, Javeria Ali Hashmi
Network Neuroscience 2020 DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00136 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | meditation creative writing |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Graph theory Machine learning Mental training programs Resting-State FMRI |
| Key findings | Greater system segregation and clustering of brain connections predict adherence to both meditation and creative writing programs. |
Abstract
Adherence determines the success and benefits of mental training (e.g., meditation) programs. It is unclear why some participants engage more actively in programs for mental training than others. Understanding neurobiological factors that predict adherence is necessary for understanding elements of learning and to inform better designs for new learning regimens. Clustering patterns in brain networks have been suggested to predict learning performance, but it is unclear whether these patterns contribute to motivational aspects of learning such as adherence. This study tests whether configurations of brain connections in resting-state fMRI scans can be used to predict adherence to two programs: meditation and creative writing. Results indicate that greater system segregation and clustering predict the number of practice sessions and class participation in both programs at a wide range of network thresholds (corrected p value < 0.05). At a local level, regions in subcortical circuitry such as striatum and accumbens predicted adherence in all subjects. Furthermore, there were also some important distinctions between groups: Adherence to meditation was predicted by connectivity within local network of the anterior insula and default mode network; and in the writing program, adherence was predicted by network neighborhood of frontal and temporal regions. Four machine learning methods were applied to test the robustness of the brain metric for classifying individual capacity for adherence and yielded reasonable accuracy. Overall, these findings underscore the fact that adherence and the ability to perform prescribed exercises is associated with organizational patterns of brain connectivity.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| 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 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Mindfulness Meditation and Network Neuroscience: Review, Synthesis, and Future Directions. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging April 1, 2025
- Effect of Heartfulness Meditation Among Long-Term, Short-Term and Non-meditators on Prefrontal Cortex Activity of Brain Using Machine Learning Classification: A Cross-Sectional Study Cureus February 14, 2023
Cites 7
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
- Breakdown of within- and between-network Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Connectivity during Propofol-induced Loss of Consciousness Anesthesiology September 30, 2010
- Inside the Mindful Mind Current Directions in Psychological Science December 1, 2013
- Reduced interference in working memory following mindfulness training is associated with increases in hippocampal volume Brain Imaging and Behavior March 17, 2018
- Mindfulness online: an evaluation of the feasibility of a web-based mindfulness course for stress, anxiety and depression BMJ Open November 1, 2013
and 2 more in the library