MAP training: combining meditation and aerobic exercise reduces depression and rumination while enhancing synchronized brain activity
Brandon L Alderman, Ryan L Olson, C.J. Brush, Tracey J. Shors
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 52 |
| Population | Adults with major depressive disorder and typical healthy individuals |
| Intervention | Mental and Physical (MAP) training |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, two sessions per week |
| Topics | Depression Meditation |
| Key points | Combined meditation and aerobic exercise training reduced depressive symptoms and rumination and increased neural markers of cognitive control, especially in individuals with major depressive disorder. |
Abstract
Mental and physical (MAP) training is a novel clinical intervention that combines mental training through meditation and physical training through aerobic exercise. The intervention was translated from neuroscientific studies indicating that MAP training increases neurogenesis in the adult brain. Each session consisted of 30 min of focused-attention (FA) meditation and 30 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Fifty-two participants completed the 8-week intervention, which consisted of two sessions per week. Following the intervention, individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD; n = 22) reported significantly less depressive symptoms and ruminative thoughts. Typical healthy individuals (n = 30) also reported less depressive symptoms at follow-up. Behavioral and event-related potential indices of cognitive control were collected at baseline and follow-up during a modified flanker task. Following MAP training, N2 and P3 component amplitudes increased relative to baseline, especially among individuals with MDD. These data indicate enhanced neural responses during the detection and resolution of conflicting stimuli. Although previous research has supported the individual beneficial effects of aerobic exercise and meditation for depression, these findings indicate that a combination of the two may be particularly effective in increasing cognitive control processes and decreasing ruminative thought patterns.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 13
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and 8 more in the library