Mindfulness based intervention in Parkinson's disease leads to structural brain changes on MRI: a randomized controlled longitudinal trial.
Barbara A Pickut, Wim Van Hecke, Eric Kerckhofs, Peter Mariën, Sven Vanneste, Patrick P Cras, Paul M Parizel
Clinical neurology and neurosurgery December 2013 DOI: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2013.10.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled longitudinal trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 27 |
| Population | Patients with Parkinson's disease |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based intervention |
| Duration | 8-week intervention, 8-week follow-up |
| Measures | Voxel based morphometry (VBM), DARTEL, SPM8 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Gray matter density Magnetic resonance imaging Mindfulness based intervention Parkinson's disease |
| Key findings | The authors report that an eight-week mindfulness-based intervention in Parkinson's disease patients was associated with increased gray matter density in the right amygdala, bilateral hippocampus, caudate nucleus, occipital lobe, thalamus, and temporo-parietal junction compared with usual care, while the usual care group showed differences in the cerebellum. They propose these regions belong to neural networks implicated in Parkinson's disease and in the benefits of meditation, though results were uncorrected for multiple comparisons. |
Abstract
The aim of the current study is to investigate structural changes on brain MRI using voxel based morphometry (VBM) related to an eight-week mindfulness based intervention (MBI) in Parkinson's Disease (PD). A total of 27 out of 30 PD patients completed a randomized controlled longitudinal trial. Fourteen patients participated in a structured eight-week program of MBI. Thirteen patients received usual care (UC) alone. MRI data sets of the brain were obtained at baseline and after eight weeks follow-up. VBM analysis was performed using DARTEL from the SPM8 software. The resulting difference maps were statistically compared to examine gray matter density (GMD) differences. Results were reported at p<0.001, uncorrected for multiple comparisons. Increased GMD was found in the MBI compared to the UC group in the region of interest (ROI) analysis in the right amygdala, and bilaterally in the hippocampus. Whole brain analysis showed increased GMD in the left and right caudate nucleus, the left occipital lobe at the lingual gyrus and cuneus, the left thalamus, and bilaterally in the temporo-parietal junction. In contrast, GMD differences were found in the UC group in the left anterior lobe and dentate nucleus of the cerebellum. To the best of our knowledge this is the first quantitative analysis of neurobiological effects of MBI in PD. Increased GMD was found in the MBI group in the neural networks that have been postulated to play an important role in PD. These areas have also been implicated in the functional networks mediating the benefits of meditation.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment | 2003 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 41 |
| Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2000 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 145 |
| Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults | 2008 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 139 |
| Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students | 2007 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 40 |
| Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients | 2004 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 73 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 59
- Standardised Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Healthcare: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses of RCTs PLoS One April 16, 2015
- Meditation reduces pain-related neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, secondary somatosensory cortex, and thalamus Frontiers in Psychology December 16, 2014
- Reduced interference in working memory following mindfulness training is associated with increases in hippocampal volume Brain Imaging and Behavior March 17, 2018
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction in Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review BMC Neurology May 15, 2017
- Mindfulness Training: Can It Create Superheroes? Frontiers in Psychology March 26, 2019
and 54 more in the library
Cites 18
- Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 2000
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Psychosomatic Medicine July 1, 2007
- Investigation of mindfulness meditation practitioners with voxel-based morphometry Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience December 3, 2007
- A qualitative analysis of mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in Parkinson's disease Psychology and Psychotherapy Theory Research and Practice October 20, 2009
and 13 more in the library