The effect of mindfulness training on resting-state networks in pre-adolescent children with sub-clinical anxiety related attention impairments.
Michelle Kennedy, Abdalla Z Mohamed, Paul Schwenn, Denise Beaudequin, Zack Y Shan, Daniel F. Hermens, Jim Lagopoulos
Brain Imaging and Behavior May 18, 2022 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-022-00673-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 47 |
| Population | Children aged 9–11 years with anxiety and/or attention issues |
| Intervention | Mindfulness training |
| Duration | 10-week intervention; assessments at pre- and post-intervention |
| Measures | Conners Continuous Performance Test, Spence Children's Anxiety Scale, resting-state fMRI |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Magnetic resonance imaging Brain mapping Adolescent Children Attention FMRI |
| Key points | In 47 children with anxiety and/or attention issues, a 10-week mindfulness intervention was followed by reduced anxiety symptoms and improved sustained attention scores. Resting-state fMRI showed increased functional connectivity in the salience and fronto-parietal networks and in the medial-inferior temporal component of the default mode network, with some connectivity measures correlating with attention and anxiety scores. |
Abstract
Mindfulness training has been associated with improved attention and affect regulation in preadolescent children with anxiety related attention impairments, however little is known about the underlying neurobiology. This study sought to investigate the impact of mindfulness training on functional connectivity of attention and limbic brain networks in pre-adolescents. A total of 47 children with anxiety and/or attention issues (aged 9-11 years) participated in a 10-week mindfulness intervention. Anxiety and attention measures and resting-state fMRI were completed at pre- and post-intervention. Sustained attention was measured using the Conners Continuous Performance Test, while the anxiety levels were measured using the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale. Functional networks were estimated using independent-component analysis, and voxel-based analysis was used to determine the difference between the time-points to identify the effect of the intervention on the functional connectivity. There was a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms and improvement in attention scores following the intervention. From a network perspective, the results showed increased functional connectivity post intervention in the salience and fronto-parietal networks as well as the medial-inferior temporal component of the default mode network. Positive correlations were identified in the fronto-parietal network with Hit Response Time and the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale total and between the default mode network and Hit Response Time. A 10-week mindfulness intervention in children was associated with a reduction in anxiety related attention impairments, which corresponded with concomitant changes in functional connectivity.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on anxiety, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- 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
- Mindful young brains and minds: a systematic review of the neural correlates of mindfulness-based interventions in youth. Brain Imaging and Behavior April 1, 2025
- Impact of a mindfulness‐based intervention on neurobehavioral functioning and its association with large‐scale brain networks in preterm young adolescents Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences May 17, 2024
- The impact of an app-delivered mindfulness-based intervention on resting-state functional connectivity in pediatric concussion: a pilot study Frontiers in Neuroscience September 17, 2026
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