A preliminary study of the effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on structural brain networks in mood-dysregulated youth with a familial risk for bipolar disorder.
Jing Yang, Du Lei, Xueling Suo, Maxwell J. Tallman, Kun Qin, Wenbin Li, Kaitlyn M. Bruns, Thomas J. Blom, Luis Rodrigo Patino Duran, Sian Cotton, John A. Sweeney, Qiyong Gong, Melissa P. DelBello
Early Intervention in Psychiatry September 2022 DOI: 10.1111/eip.13245 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational neuroimaging study with a pre-post treatment component Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 25 |
| Population | 10 mood-dysregulated youth with familial risk for bipolar disorder and 15 matched healthy comparison youth |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C) |
| Duration | 12 weeks of MBCT-C |
| Measures | Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure, Emotion Regulation Checklist |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Graph theory Grey matter Mood dysregulated Psychoradiology Structural mr |
| Key findings | Mood-dysregulated youth showed increased global efficiency, decreased path length, and abnormal nodal properties mainly in the limbic system at baseline compared with healthy controls. After 12 weeks of MBCT-C, global efficiency and path length decreased significantly, and path length changes correlated with changes in Emotion Regulation Checklist scores. The authors suggest MBCT-C may facilitate clinically meaningful changes in brain structural networks. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for children (MBCT-C), as a psychotherapeutic intervention, has been shown to be effective for treating mood dysregulation (MD). While previous neuroimaging studies of MD have reported both pre-treatment structural and functional alterations, the effects of MBCT-C on brain morphological network organisation has not been investigated. We investigated brain morphological network organisation in 10 mood-dysregulated youth with familial risk for bipolar disorder and 15 matched healthy comparison youth (HC). Effects of 12 weeks of MBCT-C were examined in the mood-dysregulated youth. Topological properties of brain networks used for analyses were constructed based on morphological similarities in regional grey matter using a graph-theory approach using MRI data. At baseline, compared with the HC group, the mood-dysregulated group exhibited increased global efficiency (Eglob ), decreased path length (Lp ), and abnormal nodal properties, mainly in the limbic system. Right temporal pole alterations at baseline predicted change in Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure scores after treatment. The mood-dysregulated group showed significant decreases in both the Eglob and Lp metrics after MBCT-C, suggesting an improved capacity for optimal information processing. Changes in Lp were correlated with changes in Emotion Regulation Checklist scores. Our results show significant topological alterations in the mood-dysregulated group as compared to controls at baseline. After MBCT-C, disrupted topological properties in the mood-dysregulated group were significantly reduced. MBCT-C may facilitate clinically meaningful changes in the brain structural network in mood-dysregulated individuals.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 9
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy reduces overgeneral autobiographical memory in formerly depressed patients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology 2000
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy: Evaluating current evidence and informing future research. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2007
- Network-level functional topological changes after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in mood dysregulated adolescents at familial risk for bipolar disorder: a pilot study BMC Psychiatry May 2, 2021
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for youth with anxiety disorders at risk for bipolar disorder: a pilot trial. Early Intervention in Psychiatry October 2016
- Neural Function Before and After Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Anxious Adolescents at Risk for Developing Bipolar Disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology January 19, 2016
and 4 more in the library