Study on the impact of meditation intervention on the white matter structure in schizophrenia
Mi Yang, Yuzheng Ma, Jinxing Chen, Chunchen Yi, Liju Liu, Zezhi Li, 德猛 杨
BMC Psychiatry September 26, 2026 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-026-08671-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 54 |
| Population | Participants with chronic schizophrenia |
| Interventions | Meditation general rehabilitation programs |
| Duration | 8-month intervention, with assessments at baseline, 3 months, and 8 months |
| Measures | PANSS positive score, PANSS total score |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The 8-month meditation intervention was associated with greater reductions in PANSS positive and total symptom scores than the active control condition. No white matter edge-level or node-level Group × Time effects survived stringent multiple-comparison correction, and the authors report the brain-clinical associations as exploratory and requiring confirmation in larger studies. |
Abstract
Schizophrenia is associated with abnormal white matter structural connectivity, and meditation has been investigated as an adjunctive intervention for clinical symptoms. This study examined whether an 8-month meditation intervention was associated with longitudinal changes in clinical symptoms, white matter structural connectivity, and graph-theoretical network properties in participants with chronic schizophrenia. Sixty-four participants diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia were enrolled and randomly assigned to either the meditation (Med) group or the general rehabilitation programs (GRP) group, and were followed for 8 months. Diffusion MRI data and clinical symptoms were collected at baseline and at 3 and 8 months after the start of the intervention. A total of 28 Med and 26 GRP participants were included for analysis. The Group × Time interaction was significant for PANSS positive score (F = 6.94, P FDR = 0.028, η 2 = 0.118) and PANSS total score (F = 6.49, P FDR = 0.028, η 2 = 0.111), with the Med group showing greater longitudinal symptom reduction. Across 4005 structural connectivity edges, no Group × Time interaction survived FDR correction (17 edges showed nominal uncorrected P < 0.05; minimum P FDR = 1.000). Node-level graph metric analyses (540 tests across six metrics × 90 nodes) yielded no FDR-significant Group × Time effects. Among 816 exploratory Spearman correlations between edge-level FA changes and PANSS symptom changes, eight survived all-correlation FDR correction (all involving the right anterior cingulum-right orbital middle frontal gyrus connection). A covariate-adjusted sensitivity analysis controlling for age, education years, and baseline chlorpromazine-equivalent dose confirmed that no edge survived whole-family FDR correction. The 8-month meditation intervention was associated with greater reductions in PANSS positive and total scores than the active control condition. White matter edge-level and node-level findings did not survive stringent multiple-comparison correction and should be interpreted as exploratory; the within-group changes over time cannot be attributed specifically to meditation. The brain-clinical associations are likewise exploratory and require confirmation in larger studies.
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 |