Meta-analytic evidence that mindfulness training alters resting state default mode network connectivity
Hadley Rahrig, David R. Vago, Matthew A. Passarelli, Allison Auten, Nicholas A. Lynn, Kirk Warren Brown
Scientific Reports July 18, 2022 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15195-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review and meta-analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 430 |
| Population | Participants from experimental or quasi-experimental trials of mindfulness training |
| Intervention | mindfulness training |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation |
| Keywords | Anterior cingulate cortex Meta-analysis Psycinfo Publication bias Resting State FMRI Functional connectivity Posterior cingulate Clinical psychology Medline Cognition |
| Citations | 83 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training, relative to control, increased resting-state functional connectivity between the left middle cingulate (salience network) and the posterior cingulate cortex (default mode network). |
Abstract
Abstract This meta-analysis sought to expand upon neurobiological models of mindfulness through investigation of inherent brain network connectivity outcomes, indexed via resting state functional connectivity (rsFC). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of rsFC as an outcome of mindfulness training (MT) relative to control, with the hypothesis that MT would increase cross-network connectivity between nodes of the Default Mode Network (DMN), Salience Network (SN), and Frontoparietal Control Network (FPCN) as a mechanism of internally-oriented attentional control. Texts were identified from the databases: MEDLINE/PubMed, ERIC, PSYCINFO, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Sciences; and were screened for inclusion based on experimental/quasi-experimental trial design and use of mindfulness-based training interventions. RsFC effects were extracted from twelve studies (mindfulness n = 226; control n = 204). Voxel-based meta-analysis revealed significantly greater rsFC (MT > control) between the left middle cingulate ( Hedge’s g = .234, p = 0.0288, I 2 = 15.87), located within the SN, and the posterior cingulate cortex, a focal hub of the DMN. Egger’s test for publication bias was nonsignificant, bias = 2.17, p = 0.162. In support of our hypothesis, results suggest that MT targets internetwork (SN-DMN) connectivity implicated in the flexible control of internally-oriented attention.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The wandering brain: Meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies of mind-wandering and related spontaneous thought processes | 2015 | Meta-analysis | |
| Investigating the Functional Heterogeneity of the Default Mode Network Using Coordinate-Based Meta-Analytic Modeling | 2009 | Meta-analysis | |
| The Default Mode Network in Healthy Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy individuals | 2016 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| Dreaming as mind wandering: evidence from functional neuroimaging and first-person content reports. | 2013 | Systematic review with meta-analytic comparison | |
| Default Mode Network Modulation by Psychedelics: A Systematic Review Participants from included studies | 2022 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 37
- Mindfulness meditation modulates stress-eating and its neural correlates. Scientific Reports March 27, 2024
- Longitudinal neurofunctional changes in medication overuse headache patients after mindfulness practice in a randomized controlled trial (the MIND-CM study). The Journal of Headache and Pain June 11, 2024
- Dynamic processes of mindfulness-based alterations in pain perception. Frontiers in Neuroscience 2023
- Mindfulness, cognition, and long-term meditators: Toward a science of advanced meditation. Imaging Neuroscience 2025
- Connectome-Based Predictive Modeling of Trait Mindfulness. Human Brain Mapping 2025
and 32 more in the library
Cites 44
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- A default mode of brain function Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 16, 2001
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- The Brain's Default Mode Network Annual Review of Neuroscience May 4, 2015
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
and 39 more in the library