A Randomized Controlled Trial of Brief Mindfulness Meditation for Women Undergoing Stereotactic Breast Biopsy.
Chelsea G Ratcliff, Sarah Prinsloo, Alejandro Chaoul, Stephanie G Zepeda, Rex Cannon, Amy Spelman, Wei T Yang, Lorenzo Cohen
Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR May 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacr.2018.09.009 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Single-blind randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 76 |
| Population | Women recruited before stereotactic breast biopsy |
| Interventions | guided mindfulness-based meditation focused breathing |
| Duration | Single session; 10-min prebiopsy activity, assessments during biopsy every 4 min and after biopsy |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | EEG Breast biopsy Breast cancer Pain |
| Key findings | Women in the guided meditation group reported a steeper reduction in anxiety than those in focused breathing or standard care (Cohen's d > 0.4 for all). No group differences in pain ratings occurred during biopsy. Meditation was associated with increased beta activity in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex compared with standard care, and a nonsignificant decrease in precuneus delta activity in meditation and breathing groups was associated with steeper anxiety reduction (r=0.51). |
Abstract
Stereotactic breast biopsy (SBB) is a common, anxiety-producing procedure. Nonpharmacologic methods to manage acute anxiety are needed. In this single-blind trial, women were recruited before SBB and randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio to a single session of guided mindfulness-based meditation (GM; n = 30), focused breathing (FB; n = 30), or standard care (SC; n = 16). Anxiety and pain were assessed at baseline after a 10-min prebiopsy group-specific activity (GM, FB, or SC), every 4 min during SBB, and after biopsy. Electroencephalographic activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus was collected throughout the study. Women in the GM group reported a steeper reduction in anxiety than women in the FB and SC groups (P < .001 for all, Cohen's d > 0.4 for all). There were no group differences in pain ratings during the biopsy. Women in the GM group experienced increased beta activity during biopsy in the insula (P = .006, Cohen's d = 1.4) and anterior cingulate cortex (P = .019, Cohen's d = 1.0) compared with women in the SC group, and there was a trend toward the same effect compared with women in the FB group (P < .10 for both). Women in the GM and FB groups experienced a nonsignificant decrease in delta activity in the precuneus during biopsy compared with those in the SC group (P < .40 for both, Cohen's d > 0.6 for both), which was associated with a steeper reduction in anxiety during the biopsy (r = 0.51, P < .01). Brief, guided meditation may provide effective anxiety relief during an acute medical procedure and affect neuronal activity in regions associated with attention, self-awareness, and emotion regulation.
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 13
- Meditation for perioperative pain and anxiety: A systematic review. Brain and Behavior July 1, 2024
- Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Patient Experience During Urodynamics: A Prospective Study. International urogynecology journal October 1, 2024
- Meditation for the reduction of perioperative anxiety in patients undergoing oncology surgery: A scoping review. Asia-Pacific journal of oncology nursing August 1, 2024
- Designing a Perioperative Mind-Body Intervention for Peripheral Vascular Interventions. Global Advances in Integrative Medicine and Health 2024
- Impact of loving-kindness meditation intervention vs. music intervention during biopsy on adherence to recommended breast cancer screening. Breast cancer research and treatment July 1, 2025
and 8 more in the library
Cites 9
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Brief mindfulness training for negative affectivity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology June 25, 2018
- Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience April 24, 2013
- Mindfulness-based interventions for coping with cancer. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences June 2016
- Imaging-Guided Core-Needle Breast Biopsy: Impact of Meditation and Music Interventions on Patient Anxiety, Pain, and Fatigue. Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR May 2016
and 4 more in the library