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Rhythmic brain stimulation reduces anxiety-related behavior in a mouse model based on meditation training.

Aldis P Weible, Denise M Piscopo, Mary K Rothbart, Michael I Posner, Cristopher M. Niell

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences March 7, 2017 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1700756114 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed
Population Mice
Intervention No-laser control
Duration Twenty 30-min sessions over 4 weeks
Topics Anxiety Meditation
Keywords Mouse Optogenetics Theta
Key findings Mice receiving rhythmic optogenetic stimulation of the anterior cingulate cortex at 1, 8, or 40 Hz showed more light-side entries, more time in the light, and more vertical rears in the light/dark box than mice receiving rhythmic cortical suppression or no manipulation, effects the authors associate with reduced anxiety and report were most pronounced at 1 and 8 Hz. No effects were seen on basic motor behavior or novel object and location recognition. The authors propose lower-frequency ACC oscillations relate to anxiety-related behavior, possibly analogous to effects in some human meditators.

Abstract

Meditation training induces changes at both the behavioral and neural levels. A month of meditation training can reduce self-reported anxiety and other dimensions of negative affect. It also can change white matter as measured by diffusion tensor imaging and increase resting-state midline frontal theta activity. The current study tests the hypothesis that imposing rhythms in the mouse anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), by using optogenetics to induce oscillations in activity, can produce behavioral changes. Mice were randomly assigned to groups and were given twenty 30-min sessions of light pulses delivered at 1, 8, or 40 Hz over 4 wk or were assigned to a no-laser control condition. Before and after the month all mice were administered a battery of behavioral tests. In the light/dark box, mice receiving cortical stimulation had more light-side entries, spent more time in the light, and made more vertical rears than mice receiving rhythmic cortical suppression or no manipulation. These effects on light/dark box exploratory behaviors are associated with reduced anxiety and were most pronounced following stimulation at 1 and 8 Hz. No effects were seen related to basic motor behavior or exploration during tests of novel object and location recognition. These data support a relationship between lower-frequency oscillations in the mouse ACC and the expression of anxiety-related behaviors, potentially analogous to effects seen with human practitioners of some forms of meditation.

Comparable studies

Other preclinical and animal studies on anxiety, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Psychedelics, but Not Ketamine, Produce Persistent Antidepressant-like Effects in a Rodent Experimental System for the Study of Depression Rats 2020 Preclinical study
Effects of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine on Rat Behaviors Relevant to Anxiety and Depression Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats 2018 Experimental study
Chronic, Intermittent Microdoses of the Psychedelic N , N -Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) Produce Positive Effects on Mood and Anxiety in Rodents Male rats 2019 Animal study
3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine facilitates fear extinction learning Mice 2015 Preclinical experimental study
Repeated lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) reverses stress-induced anxiety-like behavior, cortical synaptogenesis deficits and serotonergic neurotransmission decline Male mice exposed to chronic restraint stress 2022 Preclinical experimental study

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