Dispositional Mindfulness Co-Varies with Smaller Amygdala and Caudate Volumes in Community Adults

Higher levels of dispositional mindfulness—a trait reflecting present-moment attention and awareness—are associated with smaller grey matter volume in the right amygdala and left caudate in healthy adults. These associations remained after accounting for age, total grey matter volume, neuroticism, and depression. The findings suggest that structural differences in these brain regions may underlie the reduced stress reactivity observed in mindful individuals, pointing to candidate neurobiological pathways linking mindfulness with mental and physical health.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mindfulness, a psychological process reflecting attention and awareness to what is happening in the present moment, has been associated with increased well-being and decreased depression and anxiety in both healthy and patient populations. However, little research has explored underlying neural pathways. Recent work suggests that mindfulness (and mindfulness training interventions) may foster neuroplastic changes in cortico-limbic circuits responsible for stress and emotion regulation. Building on this work, we hypothesized that higher levels of dispositional mindfulness would be associated with decreased grey matter volume in the amgydala. In the present study, a self-report measure of dispositional mindfulness and structural MRI images were obtained from 155 healthy community adults. Volumetric analyses showed that higher dispositional mindfulness is associated with decreased grey matter volume in the right amygdala, and exploratory analyses revealed that higher dispositional mindfulness is also associated with decreased grey matter volume in the left caudate. Moreover, secondary analyses indicate that these amygdala and caudate volume associations persist after controlling for relevant demographic and individual difference factors (i.e., age, total grey matter volume, neuroticism, depression). Such volumetric differences may help explain why mindful individuals have reduced stress reactivity, and suggest new candidate structural neurobiological pathways linking mindfulness with mental and physical health outcomes.