The effect of mindfulness-based intervention on neurobehavioural functioning and its association with white-matter microstructural changes in preterm young adolescents
Vanessa Siffredi, Maria Chiara Liverani, Dimitri van de Ville, Lorena G. A. Freitas, Cristina Borradori Tolsa, Petra Susan Hüppi, Russia Ha‐Vinh Leuchter
Scientific Reports February 3, 2023 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29205-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 32 |
| Population | Very preterm young adolescents |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Measures | neuropsychological testing, parent- and self-reported questionnaires, multi-shell diffusion MRI (DTI and NODDI measures) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key points | Parent-reported global executive functioning improved after an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention in very preterm adolescents, and this improvement was associated with increased fractional anisotropy and decreased axonal dispersion in white-matter tracts involved in executive processes. Those born at lower gestational age showed the greatest white-matter microstructural changes. |
Abstract
Very preterm (VPT) young adolescents are at high risk of executive, behavioural and socio-emotional difficulties. Previous research has shown significant evidence of the benefits of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on these abilities. This study aims to assess the association between the effects of MBI on neurobehavioral functioning and changes in white-matter microstructure in VPT young adolescents who completed an 8-week MBI program. Neurobehavioural assessments (i.e., neuropsychological testing, parents- and self-reported questionnaires) and multi-shell diffusion MRI were performed before and after MBI in 32 VPT young adolescents. Combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) measures were extracted on well-defined white matter tracts (TractSeg). A multivariate data-driven approach (partial least squares correlation) was used to explore associations between MBI-related changes on neurobehavioural measures and microstructural changes. The results showed an enhancement of global executive functioning using parent-reported questionnaire after MBI that was associated with a general pattern of increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) and decrease in axonal dispersion (ODI) in white-matter tracts involved in executive processes. Young VPT adolescents with lower gestational age at birth showed the greatest gain in white-matter microstructural changes after MBI.
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 4
- Neurobiological Changes Induced by Mindfulness and Meditation: A Systematic Review. Biomedicines November 15, 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
- Good vibrations: Sternal vibration enhances white matter density and interoceptive awareness. Research Square December 22, 2025
Cites 12
- A randomized controlled pilot trial of classroom-based mindfulness meditation compared to an active control condition in sixth-grade children. Journal of school psychology June 1, 2014
- Mindfulness video game improves connectivity of the fronto-parietal attentional network in adolescents: A multi-modal imaging study Scientific Reports December 10, 2019
- Mindfulness training induces structural connectome changes in insula networks. Scientific Reports May 21, 2018
- Effects of long-term mindfulness meditation on brain's white matter microstructure and its aging. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience January 15, 2016
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Fear Conditioning, and The Uncinate Fasciculus: A Pilot Study. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2016
and 7 more in the library