[Mindful neuropsychology: Mindfulness-based cognitive remediation].
E Bulzacka, S Lavault, A Pelissolo, C Bagnis Isnard
L'Encephale February 2018 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2017.03.006 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Cognition Cognitive remediation Neuropsychologie Neuropsychology Pleine conscience Rehabilitation Remédiation cognitive Réhabilitation |
| Key findings | The authors argue that mindfulness-based interventions show promise for preventing and rehabilitating cognitive impairment, yet formal cognitive rehabilitation programs for psychiatric and neurologic conditions seldom incorporate MBI principles. They propose guidelines for developing mindfulness-inspired cognitive remediation tools and advocate integrating mindfulness principles into neuropsychological care to help patients stabilize attention and improve cognitive flexibility. |
Abstract
Mindfulness based interventions (MBI) have recently gained much interest in western medicine. MBSR paradigm is based on teaching participants to pay complete attention to the present experience and act nonjudgmentally towards stressful events. During this mental practice the meditator focuses his or her attention on the sensations of the body. While the distractions (mental images, thoughts, emotional or somatic states) arise the participant is taught to acknowledge discursive thoughts and cultivate the state of awareness without immediate reaction. The effectiveness of these programs is well documented in the field of emotional response regulation in depression (relapse prevention), anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder or eating disorders. Furthermore, converging lines of evidence support the hypothesis that mindfulness practice improves cognition, especially the ability to sustain attention and think in a more flexible manner. Nevertheless, formal rehabilitation programs targeting cognitive disturbances resulting from psychiatric (depression, disorder bipolar, schizophrenia) or neurologic conditions (brain injury, dementia) seldom rely on MBI principles. This review of literature aims at discussing possible links between MBI and clinical neuropsychology. We conducted a review of literature using electronic databases up to December 2016, screening studies with variants of the keywords ("Mindfulness", "MBI", "MBSR", "Meditation") OR/AND ("Cognition", "Attention", "Executive function", "Memory", "Learning") RESULTS: In the first part, we describe key concepts of the neuropsychology of attention in the light of Posner's model of attention control. We also underline the potential scope of different therapeutic contexts where disturbances of attention may be clinically relevant. Second, we review the efficacy of MBI in the field of cognition (thinking disturbances, attention biases, memory and executive processes impairment or low metacognitive abilities), mood (emotional dysregulation, anxiety, depression, mood shifts) and somatic preoccupations (stress induced immune dysregulation, chronic pain, body representation, eating disorders, sleep quality, fatigue). In psychiatry, these three components closely coexist and interact which explains the complexity of patient assessment and care. Numerous studies show that meditation inspired interventions offer a promising solution in the prevention and rehabilitation of cognitive impairment. In the last part, we discuss the benefits and risks of integrating meditation practice into broader programs of cognitive remediation and therapeutic education in patients suffering from cognitive disorders. We propose a number of possible guidelines for developing mindfulness inspired cognitive remediation tools. Along with Jon Kabatt Zinn (Kabatt-Zinn & Maskens, 2012), we suggest that the construction of neuropsychological tools relies on seven attitudinal foundations of mindfulness practice. This paper highlights the importance of referring to holistic approaches such as MBI when dealing with patients with neuropsychological impairment, especially in the field of psychiatry. We advocate introducing mindfulness principles in order to help patients stabilize their attention and improve cognitive flexibility. We believe this transition in neuropsychological care may offer an interesting paradigm shift promoting a more efficient approach towards cognition and its links to emotion, body, and environment.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Educating Through Attentional States of Consciousness, an Effective Way to Develop Creative Potential? Frontiers in Education March 17, 2022
- Executive Function Training Through a Mindfulness-Based Neuroeducational Program in Elementary School Students Mindfulness November 1, 2024
- Combining mindfulness and cognitive training in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: study protocol of a pilot randomized controlled trial (the NeuroMind study). Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study on the Effects of Loving-Kindness and Mindfulness Meditation (LKM) on Patients in a Sterile Isolation Room to Improve Their Mood Status Japanese Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine August 31, 2025
- Effect of meditation on clinical symptoms and gray matter volume in chronic schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience May 19, 2026
and 2 more in the library
Cites 27
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression August 21, 2006
- Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 8, 2004
and 22 more in the library