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Morin A, Grondin S. Mindfulness and time perception: A systematic integrative review. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105657. [PMID: 38583653 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Several recent studies have explored the relationships between mindfulness and time perception, an area of research that has become increasingly popular in the last 10-15 years. In this article, we present a systematic integrative review of the evidence on this subject. We also integrate the field's findings into a conceptual framework which considers the multifaceted nature of both mindfulness, and time perception research. To identify the relevant literature, we searched the following databases using relevant keywords: PsycINFO; Medline; EBSCO Host Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection; and Web of Science. These searches were last performed on the 4th of May 2022, and additional hand searches were also conducted. To be included, articles had to be in English and contain original data about the potential relationship(s) between mindfulness and time perception. Articles which did not present usable data about the relationship(s) between the variables of interest were excluded. In total, 47 research articles were included in the review (combined sample size of ∼5800 participants). Risks of bias in the selected studies were evaluated using two separate assessment tools designed for this purpose. Through an integrative narrative synthesis, this article reviews how mindfulness may relate to time perception for various reference frames, and for various time perception measures and methods. It also provides new insights by exploring how a wide range of findings can be integrated into a coherent whole, in light of some relevant time perception models and mindfulness theories. Altogether, the reviewed data suggest the existence of complex and multifaceted relationships between mindfulness and time perception, highlighting the importance of considering many factors when planning research or interpreting data in this field. Limitations of the current review include the scarceness of data for certain categories of findings, and the relatively low prevalence of studies with a randomized controlled design in the source literature. This research was partly funded by a grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Morin
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
| | - Simon Grondin
- École de psychologie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
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2
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Koivisto M, Koskinen J, Jokiaho S, Vahanne T, Pohjola M, Kontio E. A short simulated nature experience as an effective way to promote restoration from work-related stress. Scand J Psychol 2024. [PMID: 38872446 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.13044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Spending time in nature, and even watching images or videos of nature, has positive effects on one's mental state. However, cognitively stressful work is often performed indoors, in offices that lack easy access to nature during breaks. In this study, we investigated whether watching a 5-min audiovisual video that describes a first-person perspective walk on a forest path could help to restore one's mental state after cognitive stress. Participants were asked to perform cognitive stressor tasks, after which they were shown either a nature walk video or a control video. Subjective restoration was measured using self-reports before and after the videos, while electrodermal activity (EDA) and electroencephalography (EEG) were measured during the video-watching session. The results showed that experiencing the nature walk video enhanced subjective restoration more than watching the control video. Arousal of the autonomic nervous system, measured using EDA, decreased more during the nature walk video than during the control video. Additionally, activity in the EEG's upper theta band (6-8 Hz) and lower alpha band (8-10 Hz) increased during the nature walk video, suggesting that it induced a relaxed state of mind. Interestingly, the participants' connection with nature moderated the effects of the nature video. The subjective and physiological measures both suggest that watching a short, simulated nature walk may be beneficial in relaxing the mind and restoring one's mental state after cognitive stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mika Koivisto
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Juho Koskinen
- School of ICT, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland
| | - Samu Jokiaho
- Department of Psychology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tero Vahanne
- School of ICT, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Elina Kontio
- School of ICT, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, Finland
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3
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Dziego CA, Bornkessel-Schlesewsky I, Schlesewsky M, Sinha R, Immink MA, Cross ZR. Augmenting complex and dynamic performance through mindfulness-based cognitive training: An evaluation of training adherence, trait mindfulness, personality and resting-state EEG. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0292501. [PMID: 38768220 PMCID: PMC11104625 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Human performance applications of mindfulness-based training have demonstrated its utility in enhancing cognitive functioning. Previous studies have illustrated how these interventions can improve performance on traditional cognitive tests, however, little investigation has explored the extent to which mindfulness-based training can optimise performance in more dynamic and complex contexts. Further, from a neuroscientific perspective, the underlying mechanisms responsible for performance enhancements remain largely undescribed. With this in mind, the following study aimed to investigate how a short-term mindfulness intervention (one week) augments performance on a dynamic and complex task (target motion analyst task; TMA) in young, healthy adults (n = 40, age range = 18-38). Linear mixed effect modelling revealed that increased adherence to the web-based mindfulness-based training regime (ranging from 0-21 sessions) was associated with improved performance in the second testing session of the TMA task, controlling for baseline performance. Analyses of resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) metrics demonstrated no change across testing sessions. Investigations of additional individual factors demonstrated that enhancements associated with training adherence remained relatively consistent across varying levels of participants' resting-state EEG metrics, personality measures (i.e., trait mindfulness, neuroticism, conscientiousness), self-reported enjoyment and timing of intervention adherence. Our results thus indicate that mindfulness-based cognitive training leads to performance enhancements in distantly related tasks, irrespective of several individual differences. We also revealed nuances in the magnitude of cognitive enhancements contingent on the timing of adherence, regardless of total volume of training. Overall, our findings suggest that mindfulness-based training could be used in a myriad of settings to elicit transferable performance enhancements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe A. Dziego
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ina Bornkessel-Schlesewsky
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Matthias Schlesewsky
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ruchi Sinha
- Centre for Workplace Excellence, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia
| | - Maarten A. Immink
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Sport, Health, Activity, Performance and Exercise (SHAPE) Research Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Zachariah R. Cross
- Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Australian Research Centre for Interactive and Virtual Environments, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
- Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
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4
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Rusinova A, Volodina M, Ossadtchi A. Short-term meditation training alters brain activity and sympathetic responses at rest, but not during meditation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11138. [PMID: 38750127 PMCID: PMC11096169 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60932-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Although more people are engaging in meditation practices that require specialized training, few studies address the issues associated with nervous activity pattern changes brought about by such training. For beginners, it remains unclear how much practice is needed before objective physiological changes can be detected, whether or not they are similar across the novices and what are the optimal strategies to track these changes. To clarify these questions we recruited individuals with no prior meditation experience. The experimental group underwent an eight-week Taoist meditation course administered by a professional, while the control group listened to audiobooks. Both groups participated in audio-guided, 34-min long meditation sessions before and after the 8-week long intervention. Their EEG, photoplethysmogram, respiration, and skin conductance were recorded during the mediation and resting state periods. Compared to the control group, the experimental group exhibited band-specific topically organized changes of the resting state brain activity and heart rate variability associated with sympathetic system activation. Importantly, no significant changes were found during the meditation process prior and post the 8-week training in either of the groups. The absence of notable changes in CNS and ANS activity indicators during meditation sessions, for both the experimental and control groups, casts doubt on the effectiveness of wearable biofeedback devices in meditation practice. This finding redirects focus to the importance of monitoring resting state activity to evaluate progress in beginner meditators. Also, 16 h of training is not enough for forming individual objectively different strategies manifested during the meditation sessions. Our results contributed to the development of tools to objectively monitor the progress in novice meditators and the choice of the relevant monitoring strategies. According to our findings, in order to track early changes brought about by the meditation practice it is preferable to monitor brain activity outside the actual meditation sessions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Rusinova
- Center for Bioelectric Interfaces, HSE University, Moscow, Russia, 101000
| | - Maria Volodina
- Center for Bioelectric Interfaces, HSE University, Moscow, Russia, 101000.
- Laboratory of Medical Neurointerfaces and Artificial Intellect, Federal Center of Brain Research and Neurotechnologies of the Federal Medical Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia, 117513.
| | - Alexei Ossadtchi
- Center for Bioelectric Interfaces, HSE University, Moscow, Russia, 101000
- Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, AIRI, Moscow, Russia
- LLC "Life Improvement by Future Technologies Center", Moscow, Russia
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5
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van Lutterveld R, Chowdhury A, Ingram DM, Sacchet MD. Neurophenomenological Investigation of Mindfulness Meditation "Cessation" Experiences Using EEG Network Analysis in an Intensively Sampled Adept Meditator. Brain Topogr 2024:10.1007/s10548-024-01052-4. [PMID: 38703334 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-024-01052-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation is a contemplative practice that is informed by Buddhism. It has been proven effective for improving mental and physical health in clinical and non-clinical contexts. To date, mainstream dialogue and scientific research on mindfulness has focused primarily on short-term mindfulness training and applications of mindfulness for reducing stress. Understanding advanced mindfulness practice has important implications for mental health and general wellbeing. According to Theravada Buddhist meditation, a "cessation" event is a dramatic experience of profound clarity and equanimity that involves a complete discontinuation in experience, and is evidence of mastery of mindfulness meditation. Thirty-seven cessation events were captured in a single intensively sampled advanced meditator (over 6,000 h of retreat mindfulness meditation training) while recording electroencephalography (EEG) in 29 sessions between November 12, 2019 and March 11, 2020. Functional connectivity and network integration were assessed from 40 s prior to cessations to 40 s after cessations. From 21 s prior to cessations there was a linear decrease in large-scale functional interactions at the whole-brain level in the alpha band. In the 40 s following cessations these interactions linearly returned to prior levels. No modulation of network integration was observed. The decrease in whole-brain functional connectivity was underlain by frontal to left temporal and to more posterior decreases in connectivity, while the increase was underlain by wide-spread increases in connectivity. These results provide neuroscientific evidence of large-scale modulation of brain activity related to cessation events that provides a foundation for future studies of advanced meditation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Remko van Lutterveld
- Brain Research and Innovation Centre and Department of Psychiatry, Ministry of Defence and University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
| | - Avijit Chowdhury
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | | | - Matthew D Sacchet
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
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Neri B, Callara AL, Vanello N, Menicucci D, Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, Norbu N, Kechok J, Sherab N, Gemignani A. Report from a Tibetan Monastery: EEG neural correlates of concentrative and analytical meditation. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1348317. [PMID: 38756494 PMCID: PMC11098278 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1348317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The positive effects of meditation on human wellbeing are indisputable, ranging from emotion regulation improvement to stress reduction and present-moment awareness enhancement. Changes in brain activity regulate and support these phenomena. However, the heterogeneity of meditation practices and their cultural background, as well as their poor categorization limit the generalization of results to all types of meditation. Here, we took advantage of a collaboration with the very singular and precious community of the Monks and Geshes of the Tibetan University of Sera-Jey in India to study the neural correlates of the two main types of meditation recognized in Tibetan Buddhism, namely concentrative and analytical meditation. Twenty-three meditators with different levels of expertise underwent to an ecological (i.e., within the monastery) EEG acquisition consisting of an analytical and/or concentrative meditation session at "their best," and with the only constraint of performing a 5-min-long baseline at the beginning of the session. Time-varying power-spectral-density estimates of each session were compared against the baseline (i.e., within session) and between conditions (i.e., analytical vs. concentrative). Our results showed that concentrative meditation elicited more numerous and marked changes in the EEG power compared to analytical meditation, and mainly in the form of an increase in the theta, alpha and beta frequency ranges. Moreover, the full immersion in the Monastery life allowed to share the results and discuss their interpretation with the best scholars of the Monastic University, ensuring the identification of the most expert meditators, as well as to highlight better the differences between the different types of meditation practiced by each of them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Neri
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Alejandro Luis Callara
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Nicola Vanello
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Research Center “E. Piaggio”, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Danilo Menicucci
- Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Andrea Zaccaro
- Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy
| | - Andrea Piarulli
- Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | | | - Ngawang Norbu
- Sera Jey Monastic University for Advanced Buddhist Studies & Practice, Bylakuppe, Mysore, India
| | - Jampa Kechok
- Sera Jey Monastic University for Advanced Buddhist Studies & Practice, Bylakuppe, Mysore, India
| | - Ngawang Sherab
- Sera Jey Monastic University for Advanced Buddhist Studies & Practice, Bylakuppe, Mysore, India
| | - Angelo Gemignani
- Department of Surgical, Medical and Molecular Pathology and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
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Thunström AO, Carlsen HK, Ali L, Larson T, Hellström A, Steingrimsson S. Usability Comparison Among Healthy Participants of an Anthropomorphic Digital Human and a Text-Based Chatbot as a Responder to Questions on Mental Health: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Hum Factors 2024; 11:e54581. [PMID: 38683664 DOI: 10.2196/54581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The use of chatbots in mental health support has increased exponentially in recent years, with studies showing that they may be effective in treating mental health problems. More recently, the use of visual avatars called digital humans has been introduced. Digital humans have the capability to use facial expressions as another dimension in human-computer interactions. It is important to study the difference in emotional response and usability preferences between text-based chatbots and digital humans for interacting with mental health services. OBJECTIVE This study aims to explore to what extent a digital human interface and a text-only chatbot interface differed in usability when tested by healthy participants, using BETSY (Behavior, Emotion, Therapy System, and You) which uses 2 distinct interfaces: a digital human with anthropomorphic features and a text-only user interface. We also set out to explore how chatbot-generated conversations on mental health (specific to each interface) affected self-reported feelings and biometrics. METHODS We explored to what extent a digital human with anthropomorphic features differed from a traditional text-only chatbot regarding perception of usability through the System Usability Scale, emotional reactions through electroencephalography, and feelings of closeness. Healthy participants (n=45) were randomized to 2 groups that used a digital human with anthropomorphic features (n=25) or a text-only chatbot with no such features (n=20). The groups were compared by linear regression analysis and t tests. RESULTS No differences were observed between the text-only and digital human groups regarding demographic features. The mean System Usability Scale score was 75.34 (SD 10.01; range 57-90) for the text-only chatbot versus 64.80 (SD 14.14; range 40-90) for the digital human interface. Both groups scored their respective chatbot interfaces as average or above average in usability. Women were more likely to report feeling annoyed by BETSY. CONCLUSIONS The text-only chatbot was perceived as significantly more user-friendly than the digital human, although there were no significant differences in electroencephalography measurements. Male participants exhibited lower levels of annoyance with both interfaces, contrary to previously reported findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Almira Osmanovic Thunström
- Region Västra Götaland, Psychiatric Department, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Hanne Krage Carlsen
- Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Region Västra Götaland, Centre of Registers, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Lilas Ali
- Region Västra Götaland, Psychiatric Department, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Institute of Health Care Sciences, Centre for Person-Centred Care, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Centre for Person-Centred Care, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tomas Larson
- Region Västra Götaland, Psychiatric Department, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Andreas Hellström
- Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Steinn Steingrimsson
- Region Västra Götaland, Psychiatric Department, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
- Section of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
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8
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Qin K, Yu Y, Cai H, Li J, Zeng J, Liang H. Effectiveness of mindfulness-based intervention in schizophrenia: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Psychiatry Res 2024; 334:115808. [PMID: 38402743 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Schizophrenia poses significant societal challenges, including interpersonal tension, an increased risk of suicide, and soaring medical costs. Although antipsychotics can prevent relapses, they often give rise to adverse effects and do not provide lasting relief. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) emerge as a hopeful avenue for improving outcomes. However, existing research and meta-analyses of the efficacy of MBI in schizophrenia remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of MBI as an adjunctive therapy for schizophrenia. Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched across PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception dates up to January 12, 2023. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata software (version 15.0) and Review Manager 5.4. The quality of the included RCTs was assessed using the revised Cochrane risk of bias tool. A total of 18 RCTs were included, with 675 patients and 704 health controls. Our meta-analysis revealed that MBI significantly improved psychosocial function, insight, and mindfulness in individuals with schizophrenia. The quality of the included RCTs had a low to moderate risk of bias. These findings suggest that MBI holds promise for improving the mental health of individuals with schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keke Qin
- School of Politics and Public Administration, Guangxi Normal University, No. 15 Yucai Road, Qixing District, Guilin City, Guangxi Province 541004, China
| | - Yong Yu
- School of Politics and Public Administration, Guangxi Normal University, No. 15 Yucai Road, Qixing District, Guilin City, Guangxi Province 541004, China.
| | - Huiling Cai
- School of Politics and Public Administration, Guangxi Normal University, No. 15 Yucai Road, Qixing District, Guilin City, Guangxi Province 541004, China
| | - Jiahong Li
- School of Politics and Public Administration, Guangxi Normal University, No. 15 Yucai Road, Qixing District, Guilin City, Guangxi Province 541004, China
| | - Jingyuan Zeng
- School of Politics and Public Administration, Guangxi Normal University, No. 15 Yucai Road, Qixing District, Guilin City, Guangxi Province 541004, China
| | - Huolan Liang
- School of Politics and Public Administration, Guangxi Normal University, No. 15 Yucai Road, Qixing District, Guilin City, Guangxi Province 541004, China
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Merlet I, Guillery M, Weyl L, Hammal M, Maliia M, Maliia S, Biraben A, Ricordeau C, Drapier D, Nica A. EEG changes induced by meditative practices: State and trait effects in healthy subjects and in patients with epilepsy. Rev Neurol (Paris) 2024; 180:326-347. [PMID: 38503588 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurol.2024.02.387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
The effect of meditation on brain activity has been the topic of many studies in healthy subjects and in patients suffering from chronic diseases. These effects are either explored during meditation practice (state effects) or as a longer-term result of meditation training during the resting-state (trait). The topic of this article is to first review these findings by focusing on electroencephalography (EEG) changes in healthy subjects with or without experience in meditation. Modifications in EEG baseline rhythms, functional connectivity and advanced nonlinear parameters are discussed in regard to feasibility in clinical applications. Secondly, we provide a state-of-the-art of studies that proposed meditative practices as a complementary therapy in patients with epilepsy, in whom anxiety and depressive symptoms are prevalent. In these studies, the effects of standardized meditation programs including elements of traditional meditation practices such as mindfulness, loving-kindness and compassion are explored both at the level of psychological functioning and on the occurrence of seizures. Lastly, preliminary results are given regarding our ongoing study, the aim of which is to quantify the effects of a mindfulness self-compassion (MSC) practice on interictal and ictal epileptic activity. Feasibility, difficulties, and prospects of this study are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Merlet
- Universitiy of Rennes, INSERM, LTSI - UMR 1099, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - M Guillery
- Centre Hospitalier Guillaume-Regnier (CHGR), University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - L Weyl
- Centre Hospitalier Guillaume-Regnier (CHGR), University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - M Hammal
- Centre Hospitalier Guillaume-Regnier (CHGR), University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - M Maliia
- Universitiy of Rennes, INSERM, LTSI - UMR 1099, F-35000 Rennes, France; Epilepsy Unit, Reference Center for Rare Epilepsies, Neurology Department, Rennes University Hospital, Rennes, France; Center for Clinical Investigation CIC-P INSERM 1414, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - S Maliia
- Centre Hospitalier Guillaume-Regnier (CHGR), University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - A Biraben
- Universitiy of Rennes, INSERM, LTSI - UMR 1099, F-35000 Rennes, France; Epilepsy Unit, Reference Center for Rare Epilepsies, Neurology Department, Rennes University Hospital, Rennes, France; Center for Clinical Investigation CIC-P INSERM 1414, F-35000 Rennes, France.
| | - C Ricordeau
- Epilepsy Resource Team, 54, rue Saint-Helier, 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - D Drapier
- Centre Hospitalier Guillaume-Regnier (CHGR), University of Rennes, 35000 Rennes, France.
| | - A Nica
- Universitiy of Rennes, INSERM, LTSI - UMR 1099, F-35000 Rennes, France; Epilepsy Unit, Reference Center for Rare Epilepsies, Neurology Department, Rennes University Hospital, Rennes, France; Center for Clinical Investigation CIC-P INSERM 1414, F-35000 Rennes, France.
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10
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Tap SC. The potential of 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine in the treatment of alcohol use disorder: A first look at therapeutic mechanisms of action. Addict Biol 2024; 29:e13386. [PMID: 38600715 PMCID: PMC11007263 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Revised: 12/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) remains one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders worldwide with high economic costs. Current treatment options show modest efficacy and relapse rates are high. Furthermore, there are increases in the treatment gap and few new medications have been approved in the past 20 years. Recently, psychedelic-assisted therapy with psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide has garnered significant attention in the treatment of AUD. Yet, they require significant amounts of therapist input due to prolonged subjective effects (~4-12 h) leading to high costs and impeding implementation. Accordingly, there is an increasing interest in the rapid and short-acting psychedelic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). This paper offers a first look at potential therapeutic mechanisms for AUD by reviewing the current literature on 5-MeO-DMT. Primarily, 5-MeO-DMT is able to induce mystical experiences and ego-dissolution together with increases in psychological flexibility and mindfulness. This could decrease AUD symptoms through the alleviation of psychiatric mood-related comorbidities consistent with the negative reinforcement and self-medication paradigms. In addition, preliminary evidence indicates that 5-MeO-DMT modulates neural oscillations that might subserve ego-dissolution (increases in gamma), psychological flexibility and mindfulness (increases in theta), and the reorganization of executive control networks (increases in coherence across frequencies) that could improve emotion regulation and inhibition. Finally, animal studies show that 5-MeO-DMT is characterized by neuroplasticity, anti-inflammation, 5-HT2A receptor agonism, and downregulation of metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 with clinical implications for AUD and psychiatric mood-related comorbidities. The paper concludes with several recommendations for future research to establish the purported therapeutic mechanisms of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan C. Tap
- Department of PsychiatryGroningen University Medical CenterGroningenThe Netherlands
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11
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Zarka D, Cevallos C, Ruiz P, Petieau M, Cebolla AM, Bengoetxea A, Cheron G. Electroencephalography microstates highlight specific mindfulness traits. Eur J Neurosci 2024; 59:1753-1769. [PMID: 38221503 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.16247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the spontaneous dynamics of large-scale brain networks underlying mindfulness as a dispositional trait, through resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) microstates analysis. Eighteen participants had attended a standardized mindfulness-based stress reduction training (MBSR), and 18 matched waitlist individuals (CTRL) were recorded at rest while they were passively exposed to auditory stimuli. Participants' mindfulness traits were assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). To further explore the relationship between microstate dynamics at rest and mindfulness traits, participants were also asked to rate their experience according to five phenomenal dimensions. After training, MBSR participants showed a highly significant increase in FFMQ score, as well as higher observing and non-reactivity FFMQ sub-scores than CTRL participants. Microstate analysis revealed four classes of microstates (A-D) in global clustering across all subjects. The MBSR group showed lower duration, occurrence and coverage of microstate C than the control group. Moreover, these microstate C parameters were negatively correlated to non-reactivity sub-scores of FFMQ across participants, whereas the microstate A occurrence was negatively correlated to FFMQ total score. Further analysis of participants' self-reports suggested that MBSR participants showed a better sensory-affective integration of auditory interferences. In line with previous studies, our results suggest that temporal dynamics of microstate C underlie specifically the non-reactivity trait of mindfulness. These findings encourage further research into microstates in the evaluation and monitoring of the impact of mindfulness-based interventions on the mental health and well-being of individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Zarka
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics, Research Unit in Sciences of Osteopathy, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Research Unit in Sciences of Osteopathy, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - C Cevallos
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics, Research Unit in Sciences of Osteopathy, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
| | - P Ruiz
- Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Facultad de Ingeniería Mecánica, Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Quito, Ecuador
| | - M Petieau
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics, Research Unit in Sciences of Osteopathy, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - A M Cebolla
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics, Research Unit in Sciences of Osteopathy, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Bengoetxea
- Research Unit in Sciences of Osteopathy, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Athenea Neuroclinics, San Sebastian, Spain
| | - G Cheron
- Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Movement Biomechanics, Research Unit in Sciences of Osteopathy, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Laboratory of Electrophysiology, Université de Mons, Mons, Belgium
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12
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Luo X, Zhao J, Zhao D, Wang L, Hou Y, Liu Y, Zeng J, Yuan H, Lei X. Differences in attentional function between experienced mindfulness meditators and non-meditators. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1341294. [PMID: 38563033 PMCID: PMC10982879 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1341294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Attentional enhancement has often been identified as the central cognitive mechanism underlying the benefits of mindfulness meditation. However, the extent to which this enhancement is observable in the neural processes underlying long-term meditation is unclear. This current study aimed to examine differences in attentional performance between meditators and controls (non-meditators) using a visual oddball task with concurrent electroencephalography (EEG) recordings. Methods Thirty-four participants were recruited, including 16 meditators and 18 healthy controls, who were non-meditators. The participants completed a visual oddball task, using visual stimuli, and EEG recording. Results Self-reports revealed that meditators had higher mindful attention scores than did the control group. The behavioral results showed that the meditators demonstrated faster reaction times than the non-meditators did. Neural findings indicated a higher P2 amplitude in the meditators than in the controls. The meditators demonstrated a significantly higher P3 in the target trials than in the distractor trials, which was not observed in the controls. Additionally, the time-frequency analysis demonstrated that the delta and theta powers in the meditators were significantly higher than those in the controls. Conclusions The study suggests the meditators exhibited greater attentional performance than the controls did, as revealed by EEG and behavioral measures. This study extends previous research on the effects of mindfulness meditation on attention and adds to our understanding of the effects of long-term mindfulness meditation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohui Luo
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jia Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Dongfang Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Li Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yi Hou
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yong Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Jing Zeng
- Peking University School of Public Health, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Yuan
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xu Lei
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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13
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Lee E, Hong JK, Choi H, Yoon IY. Modest Effects of Neurofeedback-Assisted Meditation Using a Wearable Device on Stress Reduction: A Randomized, Double-Blind, and Controlled Study. J Korean Med Sci 2024; 39:e94. [PMID: 38469966 PMCID: PMC10927393 DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e94] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of a neurofeedback wearable device for stress reduction. METHODS A randomized, double-blind, controlled study was designed. Participants had psychological stress with depression or sleep disturbances. They practiced either neurofeedback-assisted meditation (n = 20; female, 15 [75.0%]; age, 49.40 ± 11.76 years) or neurofeedback non-assisted meditation (n = 18; female, 11 [61.1%]; age, 48.67 ± 12.90 years) for 12 minutes twice a day for two weeks. Outcome variables were self-reported questionnaires, including the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Insomnia Severity Index, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and State Trait Anxiety Index, quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), and blood tests. Satisfaction with device use was measured at the final visit. RESULTS The experimental group had a significant change in PSS score after two weeks of intervention compared with the control group (6.45 ± 0.95 vs. 3.00 ± 5.54, P = 0.037). State anxiety tended to have a greater effect in the experimental group than in the control group (P = 0.078). Depressive mood and sleep also improved in each group, with no significant difference between the two groups. There were no significant differences in stress-related physiological parameters, such as stress hormones or qEEG, between the two groups. Subjective device satisfaction was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (P = 0.008). CONCLUSION Neurofeedback-assisted meditation using a wearable device can help improve subjective stress reduction compared with non-assisted meditation. These results support neurofeedback as an effective adjunct to meditation for relieving stress. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Research Information Service Identifier: KCT0007413.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunyoung Lee
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
| | - Jung Kyung Hong
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hayun Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Veteran Health Service Medical Center, Seoul, Korea
| | - In-Young Yoon
- Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
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Bailey NW, Fulcher BD, Caldwell B, Hill AT, Fitzgibbon B, van Dijk H, Fitzgerald PB. Uncovering a stability signature of brain dynamics associated with meditation experience using massive time-series feature extraction. Neural Netw 2024; 171:171-185. [PMID: 38091761 DOI: 10.1016/j.neunet.2023.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Previous research has examined resting electroencephalographic (EEG) data to explore brain activity related to meditation. However, previous research has mostly examined power in different frequency bands. The practical objective of this study was to comprehensively test whether other types of time-series analysis methods are better suited to characterize brain activity related to meditation. To achieve this, we compared >7000 time-series features of the EEG signal to comprehensively characterize brain activity differences in meditators, using many measures that are novel in meditation research. Eyes-closed resting-state EEG data from 49 meditators and 46 non-meditators was decomposed into the top eight principal components (PCs). We extracted 7381 time-series features from each PC and each participant and used them to train classification algorithms to identify meditators. Highly differentiating individual features from successful classifiers were analysed in detail. Only the third PC (which had a central-parietal maximum) showed above-chance classification accuracy (67 %, pFDR = 0.007), for which 405 features significantly distinguished meditators (all pFDR < 0.05). Top-performing features indicated that meditators exhibited more consistent statistical properties across shorter subsegments of their EEG time-series (higher stationarity) and displayed an altered distributional shape of values about the mean. By contrast, classifiers trained with traditional band-power measures did not distinguish the groups (pFDR > 0.05). Our novel analysis approach suggests the key signatures of meditators' brain activity are higher temporal stability and a distribution of time-series values suggestive of longer, larger, or more frequent non-outlying voltage deviations from the mean within the third PC of their EEG data. The higher temporal stability observed in this EEG component might underpin the higher attentional stability associated with meditation. The novel time-series properties identified here have considerable potential for future exploration in meditation research and the analysis of neural dynamics more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil W Bailey
- Monarch Research Institute, Monarch Mental Health Group, Sydney, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine and Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia; Central Clinical School, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Ben D Fulcher
- School of Physics, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
| | - Bridget Caldwell
- Monarch Research Institute, Monarch Mental Health Group, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Aron T Hill
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Bernadette Fitzgibbon
- Monarch Research Institute, Monarch Mental Health Group, Sydney, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine and Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia; Central Clinical School, Department of Psychiatry, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hanneke van Dijk
- Research Institute Brainclinics, Brainclinics Foundation, Nijmegen, the Kingdom of the Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, University Maastricht, Maastricht, the Kingdom of the Netherlands
| | - Paul B Fitzgerald
- Monarch Research Institute, Monarch Mental Health Group, Sydney, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine and Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
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15
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Kawashima T, Shiratori H, Amano K. The relationship between alpha power and heart rate variability commonly seen in various mental states. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298961. [PMID: 38427683 PMCID: PMC10906897 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The extensive exploration of the correlation between electroencephalogram (EEG) and heart rate variability (HRV) has yielded inconsistent outcomes, largely attributable to variations in the tasks employed in the studies. The direct relationship between EEG and HRV is further complicated by alpha power, which is susceptible to influences such as mental fatigue and sleepiness. This research endeavors to examine the brain-heart interplay typically observed during periods of music listening and rest. In an effort to mitigate the indirect effects of mental states on alpha power, subjective fatigue and sleepiness were measured during rest, while emotional valence and arousal were evaluated during music listening. Partial correlation analyses unveiled positive associations between occipital alpha2 power (10-12 Hz) and nHF, an indicator of parasympathetic activity, under both music and rest conditions. These findings underscore brain-heart interactions that persist even after the effects of other variables have been accounted for.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoya Kawashima
- Department of Psychological Science, College of Informatics and Human Communication, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Nonoichi, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Honoka Shiratori
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaoru Amano
- Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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16
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Galluzzi S, Lanfredi M, Moretti DV, Rossi R, Meloni S, Tomasoni E, Frisoni GB, Chiesa A, Pievani M. Cognitive, psychological, and physiological effects of a web-based mindfulness intervention in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: an open study. BMC Geriatr 2024; 24:151. [PMID: 38350854 PMCID: PMC10865647 DOI: 10.1186/s12877-024-04766-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The development of effective strategies to maintain good mental health of older adults is a public health priority. Mindfulness-based interventions have the potential to improve psychological well-being and cognitive functions of older adults, but little is known about the effect of such interventions when delivered through internet. During the COVID-19 pandemic we evaluated short- and long-term cognitive, psychological, and physiological effects of a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) delivered via web-based videoconference in healthy older adults. METHODS Fifty older adults participated in an 8-week MBI, which comprised structured 2-h weekly group sessions. A comprehensive evaluation encompassing cognitive (verbal memory, attention and processing speed, executive functions) and psychological assessments (depression and anxiety symptoms, mindfulness, worries, emotion regulation strategies, well-being, interoceptive awareness and sleep) was conducted. Additionally, electroencephalography (EEG) data were recorded before and after the MBI and at the 6-month follow-up (T6). Data were analyzed using an intention-to-treat approach, using linear mixed models adjusted for age. The effect size for time was computed as omega squared. RESULTS We observed significant improvements from pre-MBI to post-MBI and at the T6 across several measures. These improvements were notable in the areas of verbal memory (California Verbal Learning Test, p ≤ .007), attention and executive functions (Trail Making Test A and BA, p < .050), interoceptive awareness (Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, p = .0002 for self-regulation and p < .05 for noticing, body listening, and trusting dimensions), and rumination (Heidelberg Form for Emotion Regulation Strategies, p = .018). These changes were associated with low to medium effect size. Moreover, we observed significant changes in EEG patterns, with a decrease in alpha1 (p = .004) and an increase in alpha2 (p < .0001) from pre-MBI to T6. Notably, improvements in TMTBA and rumination were correlated with the decrease in alpha1 (p < .050), while improvements in TMTA were linked to the increase in alpha2 (p = .025). CONCLUSIONS The results of our study show that a web-based MBI in older adults leads to improvements in cognitive and psychological measures, with associated modulations in specific brain rhythms. While these findings are promising, further controlled studies are required to validate these preliminary results. TRIAL REGISTRATION The trial has been registered with the United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health Registry of Clinical Trials under the code NCT05941143 on July 12, 2023.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Galluzzi
- Laboratory Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Mariangela Lanfredi
- Unit of Psychiatry, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy.
| | - Davide Vito Moretti
- Alzheimer's Rehabilitation Unit, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Roberta Rossi
- Unit of Psychiatry, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Serena Meloni
- Unit of Psychiatry, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | - Evita Tomasoni
- Laboratory Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Alberto Chiesa
- Istituto Mente E Corpo, Bologna, Italy
- Associazione Di Psicologia Cognitiva - Scuola Di Psicoterapia Cognitiva, Rome, Italy
| | - Michela Pievani
- Laboratory Alzheimer's Neuroimaging and Epidemiology, IRCCS Istituto Centro San Giovanni Di Dio Fatebenefratelli, Brescia, Italy
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17
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Demarest P, Rustamov N, Swift J, Xie T, Adamek M, Cho H, Wilson E, Han Z, Belsten A, Luczak N, Brunner P, Haroutounian S, Leuthardt EC. A novel theta-controlled vibrotactile brain-computer interface to treat chronic pain: a pilot study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3433. [PMID: 38341457 PMCID: PMC10858946 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53261-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Limitations in chronic pain therapies necessitate novel interventions that are effective, accessible, and safe. Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide a promising modality for targeting neuropathology underlying chronic pain by converting recorded neural activity into perceivable outputs. Recent evidence suggests that increased frontal theta power (4-7 Hz) reflects pain relief from chronic and acute pain. Further studies have suggested that vibrotactile stimulation decreases pain intensity in experimental and clinical models. This longitudinal, non-randomized, open-label pilot study's objective was to reinforce frontal theta activity in six patients with chronic upper extremity pain using a novel vibrotactile neurofeedback BCI system. Patients increased their BCI performance, reflecting thought-driven control of neurofeedback, and showed a significant decrease in pain severity (1.29 ± 0.25 MAD, p = 0.03, q = 0.05) and pain interference (1.79 ± 1.10 MAD p = 0.03, q = 0.05) scores without any adverse events. Pain relief significantly correlated with frontal theta modulation. These findings highlight the potential of BCI-mediated cortico-sensory coupling of frontal theta with vibrotactile stimulation for alleviating chronic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip Demarest
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Nabi Rustamov
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - James Swift
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Tao Xie
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Markus Adamek
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Hohyun Cho
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Elizabeth Wilson
- Division of Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Zhuangyu Han
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, 63130, USA
| | - Alexander Belsten
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Nicholas Luczak
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Peter Brunner
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, 63130, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Simon Haroutounian
- Division of Clinical and Translational Research, Department of Anesthesiology, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
- Washington University Pain Center, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Eric C Leuthardt
- Division of Neurotechnology, Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McKelvey School of Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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Heinilä E, Hyvärinen A, Parkkonen L, Parviainen T. Penalized canonical correlation analysis reveals a relationship between temperament traits and brain oscillations during mind wandering. Brain Behav 2024; 14:e3428. [PMID: 38361323 PMCID: PMC10869894 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION There has been a growing interest in studying brain activity under naturalistic conditions. However, the relationship between individual differences in ongoing brain activity and psychological characteristics is not well understood. We investigated this connection, focusing on the association between oscillatory activity in the brain and individually characteristic dispositional traits. Given the variability of unconstrained resting states among individuals, we devised a paradigm that could harmonize the state of mind across all participants. METHODS We constructed task contrasts that included focused attention (FA), self-centered future planning, and rumination on anxious thoughts triggered by visual imagery. Magnetoencephalography was recorded from 28 participants under these 3 conditions for a duration of 16 min. The oscillatory power in the alpha and beta bands was converted into spatial contrast maps, representing the difference in brain oscillation power between the two conditions. We performed permutation cluster tests on these spatial contrast maps. Additionally, we applied penalized canonical correlation analysis (CCA) to study the relationship between brain oscillation patterns and behavioral traits. RESULTS The data revealed that the FA condition, as compared to the other conditions, was associated with higher alpha and beta power in the temporal areas of the left hemisphere and lower alpha and beta power in the parietal areas of the right hemisphere. Interestingly, the penalized CCA indicated that behavioral inhibition was positively correlated, whereas anxiety was negatively correlated, with a pattern of high oscillatory power in the bilateral precuneus and low power in the bilateral temporal regions. This unique association was found in the anxious-thoughts condition when contrasted with the focused-attention condition. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest individual temperament traits significantly affect brain engagement in naturalistic conditions. This research underscores the importance of considering individual traits in neuroscience and offers an effective method for analyzing brain activity and psychological differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erkka Heinilä
- Faculty of Information TechnologyUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
| | - Aapo Hyvärinen
- Department of Computer ScienceUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Université Paris‐Saclay, Inria, CEAGif‐sur‐YvetteFrance
| | - Lauri Parkkonen
- Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical EngineeringAalto University School of ScienceEspooFinland
| | - Tiina Parviainen
- Centre of Interdisciplinary Brain Research, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education and PsychologyUniversity of JyväskyläJyväskyläFinland
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Williams M, Honan C, Skromanis S, Sanderson B, Matthews AJ. Psychological and attentional outcomes following acute mindfulness induction among high anxiety individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 170:361-374. [PMID: 38215647 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Training outcomes of mindfulness interventions for anxiety have been extensively researched. Less is known about the acute effects of mindfulness induction and associated mechanisms. This systematic review aimed to identify 1) the effect of mindfulness induction on pre-post measures of state anxiety and attention among adults experiencing high levels of anxiety; and 2) the impact of predictors, mediators and moderators on post-induction changes in anxiety and attention. State distress and mindfulness were included as secondary outcomes. METHODS A systematic search was conducted in November 2021 in electronic databases using relevant search terms. Five studies (four randomised controlled trials and one non-randomised controlled trial) were included, comprising a total of 277 participants with elevated trait/generalised anxiety. Each study used a brief audio-based mindfulness induction exercise. RESULTS The meta-analysis indicated mindfulness induction had medium and large effects on state anxiety (k = 3, n = 100, g = -0.60, 95%CI [-1.04, -0.16]; p = .008) and state mindfulness (k = 2, n = 110, g = 0.91, 95%CI [0.52, 1.30], p < .001), respectively, when compared with non-therapeutic control conditions. Furthermore, two studies showed small and moderate effects of mindfulness on state anxiety when compared to therapeutic active controls, but were not pooled in a meta-analysis. While results could not be pooled for attention, there was limited evidence of behavioural improvements on tasks measuring aspects of attention following mindfulness induction. However, one study found an increase in Low Beta to High Beta ratio and a reduction in Beta activity in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex following mindfulness induction. Moreover, another study found aspects of state mindfulness mediated reductions in state anxiety. LIMITATIONS A small number of studies were included in the review, with high risk of bias and low certainty of evidence present. CONCLUSION The findings support the use of mindfulness induction to reduce state anxiety in anxious individuals but suggest gains in state mindfulness may be a more realistic expected outcome. Further controlled trials are needed to delineate the relative effects of objectively assessed anxiety outcomes from mindfulness induction in clinically defined samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monique Williams
- School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 30, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 7001.
| | - Cynthia Honan
- School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, 7250
| | - Sarah Skromanis
- School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia, 7250
| | - Ben Sanderson
- School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 30, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 7001
| | - Allison J Matthews
- School of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 30, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, 7001
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Upshaw JD, Shields GS, Judah MR, Zabelina DL. Electrophysiological effects of smartphone notifications on cognitive control following a brief mindfulness induction. Biol Psychol 2024; 185:108725. [PMID: 37993083 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Smartphone use is nearly ubiquitous, with 93% of adults among economically developed countries, including the United States, Canada, Israel, and South Korea owning a smartphone (Taylor & Silver, 2019). Multiple studies have demonstrated the distracting effects of smartphone notifications on behavioral measures of cognition. Fewer studies have examined the effects of notifications on neural activity underlying higher-level cognitive processes or behavioral inductions to reduce smartphone-related distraction. Using EEG spectral frequency power densities, we assessed the effects of smartphone notifications (vs. control trials) on engagement of attentional shifting processes involved in cognitive control during a Navon Letter visual oddball task. Participants were randomly assigned to a brief mindfulness induction (N = 44) or a neutral narration control condition (N = 43). Overall, participants had lower theta-band power, but higher alpha- and beta-band power densities on target letter trials preceded by smartphone notifications. Additionally, participants in the mindfulness (vs. control) condition had a larger attention shifting oddball assessed via theta power density and theta/beta ratio (TBR) values-reflecting increased engagement of cognitive control-particularly on smartphone notification (vs. control) trials. Altogether, these results provide evidence supporting the idea that smartphone notifications can decrease activity of neural correlates of cognitive control, and offer the promise of a brief mindfulness induction to buffer against the effects of smartphone notifications on cognitive control. The findings indicate a need for further research on mindfulness inductiosn as a means to reduce potential distraction caused by smartphones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Upshaw
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Arkansas, 480 N. Campus Walk, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA.
| | - Grant S Shields
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Arkansas, 480 N. Campus Walk, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Matt R Judah
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Arkansas, 480 N. Campus Walk, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - Darya L Zabelina
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Arkansas, 480 N. Campus Walk, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
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21
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Luo M, Gan Q, Huang Z, Jiang Y, Li K, Wu M, Yang D, Shao H, Chen Y, Fu Y, Chen Z. Changes in Mental Health and EEG Biomarkers of Undergraduates Under Different Patterns of Mindfulness. Brain Topogr 2024; 37:75-87. [PMID: 38145437 PMCID: PMC10771601 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-023-01026-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
The effects of short-term mindfulness are associated with the different patterns (autonomic, audio guided, or experienced and certified mindfulness instructor guided mindfulness). However, robust evidence for reported the impacts of different patterns of mindfulness on mental health and EEG biomarkers of undergraduates is currently lacking. Therefore, we aimed to test the hypotheses that mindfulness training for undergraduates would improve mental health, and increase alpha power over frontal region and theta power over midline region at the single electrode level. We also describe the distinction among frequency bands patterns in different sites of frontal and midline regions. 70 participants were enrolled and assigned to either 5-day mindfulness or a waiting list group. Subjective questionnaires measured mental health and other psychological indicators, and brain activity was recorded during various EEG tasks before and after the intervention. The 5-day mindfulness training improved trait mindfulness, especially observing (p = 0.001, d = 0.96) and nonreactivity (p = 0.03, d = 0.56), sleep quality (p = 0.001, d = 0.91), and social support (p = 0.001, d = 0.95) while not in affect. Meanwhile, the expected increase in the alpha power of frontal sites (p < 0.017, d > 0.84) at the single electrode level was confirmed by the current data rather than the theta. Interestingly, the alteration of low-beta power over the single electrode of the midline (p < 0.05, d > 0.71) was difference between groups. Short-term mindfulness improves practitioners' mental health, and the potentially electrophysiological biomarkers of mindfulness on neuron oscillations were alpha activity over frontal sites and low-beta activity over midline sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miaoling Luo
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- Brain Science and Visual Cognition Research Center, Medical School of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Quan Gan
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- Brain Science and Visual Cognition Research Center, Medical School of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France
| | - Ziyang Huang
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Yunxiong Jiang
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Kebin Li
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Minxiang Wu
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Dongxiao Yang
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Heng Shao
- Department of Geriatrics, The First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Yanmei Chen
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- Brain Science and Visual Cognition Research Center, Medical School of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Yu Fu
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
- Brain Science and Visual Cognition Research Center, Medical School of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Zhuangfei Chen
- Medical Faculty, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
- Brain Science and Visual Cognition Research Center, Medical School of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China.
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22
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Tan TT, Tan MP, Lam CL, Loh EC, Capelle DP, Zainuddin SI, Ang BT, Lim MA, Lai NZ, Tung YZ, Yee HA, Ng CG, Ho GF, See MH, Teh MS, Lai LL, Pritam Singh RK, Chai CS, Ng DLC, Tan SB. Mindful gratitude journaling: psychological distress, quality of life and suffering in advanced cancer: a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Support Palliat Care 2023; 13:e389-e396. [PMID: 34244182 DOI: 10.1136/bmjspcare-2021-003068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Numerous studies have shown that gratitude can reduce stress and improve quality of life. OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to examine the effect of mindful gratitude journaling on suffering, psychological distress and quality of life of patients with advanced cancer. METHODS We conducted a parallel-group, blinded, randomised controlled trial at the University of Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia. Ninety-two adult patients with advanced cancer, and an overall suffering score ≥4/10 based on the Suffering Pictogram were recruited and randomly assigned to either a mindful gratitude journaling group (N=49) or a routine journaling group (N=43). RESULTS After 1 week, there were significant reductions in the overall suffering score from the baseline in both the intervention group (mean difference in overall suffering score=-2.0, 95% CI=-2.7 to -1.4, t=-6.125, p=0.000) and the control group (mean difference in overall suffering score=-1.6, 95% CI=-2.3 to -0.8, t=-4.106, p=0.037). There were also significant improvements in the total Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale score (mean difference=-3.4, 95% CI=-5.3 to -1.5, t=-3.525, p=0.000) and the total Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spiritual Well-Being score (mean difference=7.3, 95% CI=1.5 to 13.1, t=2.460, p=0.014) in the intervention group after 7 days, but not in the control group. CONCLUSION The results provide evidence that 7 days of mindful gratitude journaling could positively affect the state of suffering, psychological distress and quality of life of patients with advanced cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER The trial was registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN1261800172191) and conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Ting Tan
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Maw Pin Tan
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Chee Loong Lam
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Ee Chin Loh
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - David Paul Capelle
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | | | - Bin Ting Ang
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Min Ai Lim
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Natalie Zi Lai
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Yu Zhen Tung
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Hway Ann Yee
- Psychological Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Chong Guan Ng
- Psychological Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Gwo Fuang Ho
- Oncology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Mee Hoong See
- Surgery, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Mei Sze Teh
- Surgery, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | - Lee Lee Lai
- Nursing Science, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
| | | | | | | | - Seng Beng Tan
- Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia
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23
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Raduga M, Shashkov A. Detecting Lucid Dreams by Electroencephalography and Eyebrow Movements. Sleep Sci 2023; 16:e408-e416. [PMID: 38197020 PMCID: PMC10773514 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1776749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective When metacognition arises during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, people experience lucid dreaming (LD). Studies on this phenomenon face different obstacles. For example, its standard verification protocol requires at least three types of sensors. We hypothesized that preagreed frontalis movements (PAFMs), as a sign of lucidity, could be seen on electroencephalography (EEG) during REM sleep. In this case, only one EEG sensor would be needed to verify LD. Method Under laboratory observation, five volunteers were instructed to induce LD, during which they needed to use the standard verification protocol with pre-agreed eye movements (PAEMs) and then immediately raise their eyebrows three times as a PAFM. Results All participants were able to send signals from a total of eight LDs using one or both methods. Preagreed frontalis movements and PAEMs were equally distinctive on most EEGs, but PAFM quality was strongly dependent on the accuracy of the method. Preagreed frontalis movements exhibited two types of EEG patterns and led to immediate awakening when LD was not stable. Discussion Though the outcomes show that PAFMs can be used to verify LD, this method was less consistent and apparent than PAEMs. Furthermore, accurate instructions are needed before using PAFMs. When polysomnography is unavailable, PAFMs can be applied, as it requires only one EEG sensor to detect REM sleep and consciousness simultaneously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Raduga
- REMspace, Phase Research Center, Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
| | - Andrey Shashkov
- REMspace, Phase Research Center, Novorossiysk, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
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24
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Li J, Yang H, Xiao Y, Liu X, Ma B, Ma K, Hu L, Lu X. The analgesic effects and neural oscillatory mechanisms of virtual reality scenes based on distraction and mindfulness strategies in human volunteers. Br J Anaesth 2023; 131:1082-1092. [PMID: 37798154 DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2023.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Virtual reality (VR) has been widely used as a non-pharmacological adjunct to pain management. However, there is no consensus on what type of VR content is the best for pain alleviation and by what means VR modulates pain perception. We used three experiments to explore the analgesic effect of VR scenes in healthy adult volunteers. METHODS We first compared the effect of immersive VR on pain perception with active (i.e. non-immersive, two-dimensional video) and passive (i.e. no VR or audiovisual input) controls at both subjective perceptual (Experiment 1) and electrophysiological (electroencephalography) levels (Experiment 2), and then explored possible analgesic mechanisms responsible for VR scenes conveying different strategies (e.g. exploration or mindfulness; Experiment 3). RESULTS The multisensory experience of the VR environment lowered pain intensity and unpleasantness induced by contact heat stimuli when compared with two control conditions (P=0.001 and P<0.001, respectively). The reduced pain intensity rating correlated with decreased P2 amplitude (r=0.433, P<0.001) and increased pre-stimulus spontaneous gamma oscillations (r=-0.339, P=0.004) by 32-channel electroencephalography. A VR exploration scene induced a strong sense of immersion that was associated with increased pre-stimulus gamma oscillations (r=0.529, P<0.001), whereas a VR mindfulness meditation scene had a minor effect on immersive feelings but induced strong pre-stimulus alpha oscillations (r=-0.550, P<0.001), which led to a comparable analgesic effect. CONCLUSIONS Distinct neural mechanisms are responsible for VR-induced analgesia, deepening our understanding of the analgesic benefits of VR and its neural electrophysiological correlates. These findings support further development of digital healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingwei Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haoyu Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yian Xiao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Liu
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Bingjie Ma
- Department of Pain Management, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Ke Ma
- Department of Pain Management, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Li Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xuejing Lu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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25
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Zhang Y, Chen S, Zhang Z, Duan W, Zhao L, Weinschenk G, Luh WM, Anderson AK, Dai W. Effect of Meditation on Brain Activity during an Attention Task: A Comparison Study of ASL and BOLD Task fMRI. Brain Sci 2023; 13:1653. [PMID: 38137100 PMCID: PMC10741430 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13121653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Focused attention meditation (FAM) training has been shown to improve attention, but the neural basis of FAM on attention has not been thoroughly understood. Here, we aim to investigate the neural effect of a 2-month FAM training on novice meditators in a visual oddball task (a frequently adopted task to evaluate attention), evaluated with both ASL and BOLD fMRI. Using ASL, activation was increased in the middle cingulate (part of the salience network, SN) and temporoparietal (part of the frontoparietal network, FPN) regions; the FAM practice time was negatively associated with the longitudinal changes in activation in the medial prefrontal (part of the default mode network, DMN) and middle frontal (part of the FPN) regions. Using BOLD, the FAM practice time was positively associated with the longitudinal changes of activation in the inferior parietal (part of the dorsal attention network, DAN), dorsolateral prefrontal (part of the FPN), and precentral (part of the DAN) regions. The effect sizes for the activation changes and their association with practice time using ASL are significantly larger than those using BOLD. Our study suggests that FAM training may improve attention via modulation of the DMN, DAN, SN, and FPN, and ASL may be a sensitive tool to study the FAM effect on attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yakun Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA (S.C.)
| | - Shichun Chen
- Department of Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA (S.C.)
| | - Zongpai Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA (S.C.)
| | - Wenna Duan
- Department of Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA (S.C.)
| | - Li Zhao
- College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
| | - George Weinschenk
- Department of Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA (S.C.)
| | - Wen-Ming Luh
- National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD 21225, USA
| | - Adam K. Anderson
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA;
| | - Weiying Dai
- Department of Computer Science, State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA (S.C.)
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26
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Zhang C, Wang Y, Li D, Li M, Zhang X, Rong W, Wang P, Li L, He S, Xu Y, Li Y. EEG Power Spectral Density in NREM Sleep is Associated with the Degree of Hypoxia in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Nat Sci Sleep 2023; 15:979-992. [PMID: 38046177 PMCID: PMC10691959 DOI: 10.2147/nss.s433820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Purpose Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a prevalent sleep-related breathing disorder. Research conducted on patients with OSA using electroencephalography (EEG) has revealed a noticeable shift in the overnight polysomnography (PSG) power spectrum. To better quantify the effects of OSA on brain function and to identify the most reliable predictors of pathological cortical activation, this study quantified the PSG power and its association with the degree of hypoxia in OSA patients. Patients and Methods This retrospective study recruited 93 patients with OSA. OSA patients were divided into three groups based on their apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) scores. The clinical characteristics and sleep macrostructure of these patients were examined, followed by an analysis of PSG signals. Power spectral density (PSD) in five frequency bands was analyzed during nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and wakefulness. Finally, correlation analysis was conducted to assess the relationships among PSD, PSG parameters, and serum levels of S100β and uric acid. Results Obstructive sleep apnea occurred during both the NREM and REM sleep phases. Except for a decrease in the duration of N2 sleep and an increase in the microarousal index, there were no significant differences in sleep architecture based on disease severity. Compared to the mild OSA group, the theta and alpha band PSD in the frontal and occipital regions during NREM sleep and wakefulness were significantly decreased in the moderate and severe OSA groups. Correlation analysis revealed that theta PSD in N1 and N3 stages were negatively correlated the AHI, oxygen desaturation index, SaO2<90% and microarousal index. Conclusion These findings imply that patients with more severe OSA exhibited considerable NREM hypoxia and abnormal brain activity in the frontal and occipital regions. Therefore, sleep EEG oscillation may be a useful neurophysiological indicator for assessing brain function and disease severity in patients with OSA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chan Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yanhui Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- The Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Dongxiao Li
- Henan Neurodevelopment Engineering Research Center for Children, Henan Key Laboratory of Children’s Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450018, People’s Republic of China
| | - Mengjie Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- The Academy of Medical Sciences of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Xiaofeng Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wenzheng Rong
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Pu Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lanjun Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Shujing He
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yuming Xu
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
| | - Yusheng Li
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450000, People’s Republic of China
- NHC Key Laboratory of Prevention and Treatment of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Zhengzhou, Henan, People’s Republic of China
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27
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Lu C, Moliadze V, Nees F. Dynamic processes of mindfulness-based alterations in pain perception. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1253559. [PMID: 38027503 PMCID: PMC10665508 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1253559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Mindfulness-based processes have been shown to enhance attention and related behavioral responses, including analgesia, which is discussed as an effective method in the context of pain interventions. In the present review, we introduce the construct of mindfulness, delineating the concepts, factors, and processes that are summarized under this term and might serve as relevant components of the underlying mechanistic pathways in the field of pain. We also discuss how differences in factors such as definitions of mindfulness, study design, and strategies in mindfulness-based attention direction may need to be considered when putting the findings from previous studies into a whole framework. In doing so, we capitalize on a potential dynamic process model of mindfulness-based analgesia. In this respect, the so-called mindfulness-based analgesia may initially result from improved cognitive regulation strategies, while at later stages of effects may be driven by a reduction of interference between both cognitive and affective factors. With increasing mindfulness practice, pathways and mechanisms of mindfulness analgesia may change dynamically, which could result from adaptive coping. This is underlined by the fact that the neural mechanism of mindfulness analgesia is manifested as increased activation in the ACC and aINS at the beginner level while increased activation in the pINS and reduced activation in the lPFC at the expert level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Frauke Nees
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany
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28
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Chowdhury A, van Lutterveld R, Laukkonen RE, Slagter HA, Ingram DM, Sacchet MD. Investigation of advanced mindfulness meditation "cessation" experiences using EEG spectral analysis in an intensively sampled case study. Neuropsychologia 2023; 190:108694. [PMID: 37777153 PMCID: PMC10843092 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2023.108694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation is a contemplative practice informed by Buddhism that targets the development of present-focused awareness and non-judgment of experience. Interest in mindfulness is burgeoning, and it has been shown to be effective in improving mental and physical health in clinical and non-clinical contexts. In this report, for the first time, we used electroencephalography (EEG) combined with a neurophenomenological approach to examine the neural signature of "cessation" events, which are dramatic experiences of complete discontinuation in awareness similar to the loss of consciousness, which are reported to be experienced by very experienced meditators, and are proposed to be evidence of mastery of mindfulness meditation. We intensively sampled these cessations as experienced by a single advanced meditator (with over 23,000 h of meditation training) and analyzed 37 cessation events collected in 29 EEG sessions between November 12, 2019, and March 11, 2020. Spectral analyses of the EEG data surrounding cessations showed that these events were marked by a large-scale alpha-power decrease starting around 40 s before their onset, and that this alpha-power was lowest immediately following a cessation. Region-of-interest (ROI) based examination of this finding revealed that this alpha-suppression showed a linear decrease in the occipital and parietal regions of the brain during the pre-cessation time period. Additionally, there were modest increases in theta power for the central, parietal, and right temporal ROIs during the pre-cessation timeframe, whereas power in the Delta and Beta frequency bands were not significantly different surrounding cessations. By relating cessations to objective and intrinsic measures of brain activity (i.e., EEG power) that are related to consciousness and high-level psychological functioning, these results provide evidence for the ability of experienced meditators to voluntarily modulate their state of consciousness and lay the foundation for studying these unique states using a neuroscientific approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avijit Chowdhury
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Remko van Lutterveld
- Brain Research and Innovation Centre, Dutch Ministry of Defence and Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Ruben E Laukkonen
- Faculty of Health, Southern Cross University, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
| | - Heleen A Slagter
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | | | - Matthew D Sacchet
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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Min B, Park H, Kim JI, Lee S, Back S, Lee E, Oh S, Yun JY, Kim BN, Kim Y, Hwang J, Lee S, Kim JH. The Effectiveness of a Neurofeedback-Assisted Mindfulness Training Program Using a Mobile App on Stress Reduction in Employees: Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2023; 11:e42851. [PMID: 37788060 PMCID: PMC10582822 DOI: 10.2196/42851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mindfulness-based training programs have consistently shown efficacy in stress reduction. However, questions regarding the optimal duration and most effective delivery methods remain. OBJECTIVE This research explores a 4-week neurofeedback-assisted mindfulness training for employees via a mobile app. The study's core query is whether incorporating neurofeedback can amplify the benefits on stress reduction and related metrics compared with conventional mindfulness training. METHODS A total of 92 full-time employees were randomized into 3 groups: group 1 received mobile mindfulness training with neurofeedback assistance (n=29, mean age 39.72 years); group 2 received mobile mindfulness training without neurofeedback (n=32, mean age 37.66 years); and group 3 were given self-learning paper materials on stress management during their first visit (n=31, mean age 38.65 years). The primary outcomes were perceived stress and resilience scales. The secondary outcomes were mindfulness awareness, emotional labor, occupational stress, insomnia, and depression. Heart rate variability and electroencephalography were measured for physiological outcomes. These measurements were collected at 3 different times, namely, at baseline, immediately after training, and at a 4-week follow-up. The generalized estimating equation model was used for data analysis. RESULTS The 4-week program showed significant stress reduction (Wald χ22=107.167, P<.001) and improvements in psychological indices including resilience, emotional labor, insomnia, and depression. A significant interaction was observed in resilience (time × group, Wald χ42=10.846, P=.02). The post hoc analysis showed a statistically significant difference between groups 1 (least squares mean [LSM] 21.62, SE 0.55) and 3 (LSM 19.90, SE 0.61) at the posttraining assessment (P=.008). Group 1 showed a significant improvement (P<.001) at the posttraining assessment, with continued improvements through the 1-month follow-up assessment period (LSM 21.55, SE 0.61). Physiological indices were analyzed only for data of 67 participants (22 in group 1, 22 in group 2, and 23 in group 3) due to the data quality. The relaxation index (ratio of alpha to high beta power) from the right electroencephalography channel showed a significant interaction (time × group, Wald χ22=6.947, P=.03), with group 1 revealing the highest improvement (LSM 0.43, SE 0.15) compared with groups 2 (LSM -0.11, SE 0.10) and 3 (LSM 0.12, SE 0.10) at the 1-month follow-up assessment. CONCLUSIONS The study demonstrated that the neurofeedback-assisted group achieved superior outcomes in resilience and relaxation during the 4-week mobile mindfulness program. Further research with larger samples and long-term follow-up is warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03787407; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03787407.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beomjun Min
- Department of Public Health Medical Services, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Heyeon Park
- Liberal Arts College, Dongduk Women's University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Johanna Inhyang Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sungmin Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Soyoung Back
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunhwa Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sohee Oh
- Medical Research Collaborating Center, Seoul Metropolitan Government Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Je-Yeon Yun
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Yeongeon Student Support Center, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Bung-Nyun Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | | | | | | | - Jeong-Hyun Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
- Department of Public Health Medical Services, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam-si, Republic of Korea
- Institute of Human Behavioral Medicine, Seoul National University Medical Research Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Larsen JK, Hollands GJ, Garland EL, Evers AWM, Wiers RW. Be more mindful: Targeting addictive responses by integrating mindfulness with cognitive bias modification or cue exposure interventions. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 153:105408. [PMID: 37758008 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
This review provides an overview of the most prominent neurocognitive effects of cognitive bias modification (CBM), cue-exposure therapy and mindfulness interventions for targeting addictive responses. It highlights the key insights that have stemmed from cognitive neuroscience and brain imaging research and combines these with insights from behavioural science in building a conceptual model integrating mindfulness with response-focused CBM or cue-exposure interventions. This furthers our understanding of whether and how mindfulness strategies may i) facilitate or add to the induced response-focused effects decreasing cue-induced craving, and ii) further weaken the link between craving and addictive responses. Specifically, awareness/monitoring may facilitate, and decentering may add to, response-focused effects. Combined awareness acceptance strategies may also diminish the craving-addiction link. The conceptual model presented in this review provides a specific theoretical framework to deepen our understanding of how mindfulness strategies and CBM or cue-exposure interventions can be combined to greatest effect. This is important in both suggesting a roadmap for future research, and for the further development of clinical interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junilla K Larsen
- Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, PO Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
| | - Gareth J Hollands
- EPPI Centre, UCL Social Research Institute, University College London, UK
| | - Eric L Garland
- Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development, College of Social Work, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
| | - Andrea W M Evers
- Health, Medical and Neuropsychology Unit, Leiden University, NL, and Medical Delta, Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University, UK
| | - Reinout W Wiers
- Addiction Development and Psychopathology (ADAPT)-lab, Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam and Centre for Urban Mental Health, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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Shang B, Duan F, Fu R, Gao J, Sik H, Meng X, Chang C. EEG-based investigation of effects of mindfulness meditation training on state and trait by deep learning and traditional machine learning. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1033420. [PMID: 37719770 PMCID: PMC10500069 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1033420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction This study examines the state and trait effects of short-term mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training using convolutional neural networks (CNN) based deep learning methods and traditional machine learning methods, including shallow and deep ConvNets as well as support vector machine (SVM) with features extracted from common spatial pattern (CSP) and filter bank CSP (FBCSP). Methods We investigated the electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements of 11 novice MBSR practitioners (6 males, 5 females; mean age 35.7 years; 7 Asians and 4 Caucasians) during resting and meditation at early and late training stages. The classifiers are trained and evaluated using inter-subject, mix-subject, intra-subject, and subject-transfer classification strategies, each according to a specific application scenario. Results For MBSR state effect recognition, trait effect recognition using meditation EEG, and trait effect recognition using resting EEG, from shallow ConvNet classifier we get mix-subject/intra-subject classification accuracies superior to related previous studies for both novice and expert meditators with a variety of meditation types including yoga, Tibetan, and mindfulness, whereas from FBSCP + SVM classifier we get inter-subject classification accuracies of 68.50, 85.00, and 78.96%, respectively. Conclusion Deep learning is superior for state effect recognition of novice meditators and slightly inferior but still comparable for both state and trait effects recognition of expert meditators when compared to the literatures. This study supports previous findings that short-term meditation training has EEG-recognizable state and trait effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baoxiang Shang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Feiyan Duan
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- Deepbay Innovation Technology Corporation Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Ruiqi Fu
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Smart Healthcare Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Junling Gao
- Buddhist Practice and Counselling Science Lab, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hinhung Sik
- Buddhist Practice and Counselling Science Lab, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xianghong Meng
- Department of Neurosurgery, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Chunqi Chang
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University Medical School, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
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Paley CA, Johnson MI. Perspective on salutogenic approaches to persistent pain with a focus on mindfulness interventions. FRONTIERS IN PAIN RESEARCH 2023; 4:1188758. [PMID: 37706030 PMCID: PMC10495576 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2023.1188758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In this article, we provide a unique perspective on the use of mindfulness interventions in a whole health framework embedded within the theory of salutogenesis and the concept of painogenic environments. We argue that mindfulness is a valuable tool to bridge exploration of inner experiences of bodily pain with socio-ecological influences on thoughts and emotions. We outline research from neuroimaging studies that mindfulness techniques mediate neural processing and neuroplastic changes that alleviate pain and related symptoms. We also review evidence examining behavioural changes associated with mindfulness meditation providing evidence that it promotes self-regulatory activity, including the regulation and control of emotion and catalysation of health behaviour changes; both of which are important in chronic illness. Our viewpoint is that mindfulness could be a core element of salutogenic approaches to promote health and well-being for people living with pain because it rebuilds a fractured sense of cohesion. Mindfulness empowers people in pain to embrace their existence; shifting the focus away from pain and giving their lives meaning. We propose that integrating mindfulness into activities of daily living and individual or community-based activities will promote living well in the modern world, with or without pain; thus, promoting individual potential for fulfilment. Future research should consider the effects of mindfulness on people with pain in real-life settings, considering social, environmental, and economic factors using a broader set of outcomes, including self-efficacy, sense of coherence and quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carole A. Paley
- Centre for Pain Research, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
- Academic Unit of Palliative Care, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Mark I. Johnson
- Centre for Pain Research, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, United Kingdom
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Jelsone-Swain L, Settepani M, McMullen K, Stafford J, Cho B. An examination of mindfulness on Mu suppression and pain empathy and its relation to trait empathy. Soc Neurosci 2023; 18:245-255. [PMID: 37519186 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2023.2242093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
There have been multiple benefits reported from the practice of mindfulness meditation. Recently social functioning, including empathy, has emerged as one such possible benefit. However, the literature is mixed and it is unknown if mindfulness has an effect on the neural mechanism involved in empathy. Therefore, we conducted a large-scale experimental study involving over 100 participants that were either enrolled in a behavioral or EEG experiment to examine pain empathy and mu suppression, respectively. We also measured state and trait mindfulness and trait empathy. Results did not show a change in pain empathy or mu suppression in response to an acute mindfulness manipulation. However, pain empathy responses were able to be predicted significantly better when the component of state mindfulness involving decentering was incorporated into a regression model compared to trait empathy alone. Also, trait empathy was related to trait mindfulness. Collectively, state decentering may be involved in increased pain empathy, while trait mindfulness appears more related to general trait empathy. Further research is warranted to better understand the potential benefit a brief mindfulness meditation may produce in the realm of brain activity and social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Jelsone-Swain
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina Aiken, Aiken, SC, USA
| | - M Settepani
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina Aiken, Aiken, SC, USA
| | - K McMullen
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina Aiken, Aiken, SC, USA
| | - J Stafford
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina Aiken, Aiken, SC, USA
| | - B Cho
- Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina Aiken, Aiken, SC, USA
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Cinalioglu K, Lavín P, Bein M, Lesage M, Gruber J, Se J, Bukhari S, Sasi N, Noble H, Andree-Bruneau M, Launay C, Sanders J, Gauthier S, Rosa P, Lifshitz M, Battistini BJ, Beauchet O, Khoury B, Bouchard S, Fallavollita P, Vahia I, Rej S, Sekhon H. Effects of virtual reality guided meditation in older adults: the protocol of a pilot randomized controlled trial. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1083219. [PMID: 37575420 PMCID: PMC10421698 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1083219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Virtual reality (VR) based meditation has been shown to help increase relaxation and decrease anxiety and depression in younger adults. However, this has not been studied in Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) in the older adult population. The aim of this RCT is to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a VR-guided meditation intervention for community-dwelling older adults and its effect on stress and mental health. Methods We will recruit 30 participants aged ≥ 60 years, whose perceived stress score (PSS) is > 14 (moderate stress), and randomize them 1:1 to the intervention or control waitlist group. The intervention will involve exposure to eight 15-min VR-guided meditation sessions distributed twice weekly for 4-weeks. Two modalities will be offered: in-home and at the hospital. Data analysis Baseline and post-intervention assessments will evaluate perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, quality of life, and mindfulness skills. Analyses will employ mixed methods repeated ANOVA tests. Qualitative analyses through semi-structured interviews and participant observation will be used to assess participants' experiences. Study outcomes include: (A) feasibility and acceptability compared to a waitlist control (B) stress, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS); (C) anxiety, and depression, using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9); (D) insomnia, quality of life and mindfulness skills, using the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), Quality of Life Questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) and Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire Short Forms (FFMQ-SF), respectively. We will also measure immersive tendencies, sickness and sense of presence using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) and the Presence Questionnaire (PQ). Discussion Virtual reality-guided meditation could be an acceptable, feasible, safe, and cost-effective novel alternative health intervention for improving older adults' mental health.Clinical trial registration: NCT05315609 at https://clinicaltrials.gov.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Cinalioglu
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Jewish General Hospital, Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Paola Lavín
- Jewish General Hospital, Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Magnus Bein
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Myriam Lesage
- Jewish General Hospital, Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | | | - Jade Se
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Syeda Bukhari
- Jewish General Hospital, Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Neeti Sasi
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Helen Noble
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Marie Andree-Bruneau
- Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Geriatric Institute Research Center, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Cyrille Launay
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Jewish General Hospital and Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Justin Sanders
- Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Serge Gauthier
- McGill Center for Studies in Aging, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Pedro Rosa
- McGill Center for Studies in Aging, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Michael Lifshitz
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Jewish General Hospital, Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Bruno J. Battistini
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Olivier Beauchet
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, Jewish General Hospital and Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Bassam Khoury
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Stephane Bouchard
- Department of Psychoeducation and Psychology, Université du Québec Outaouais, Gatineau, QC, Canada
| | - Pascal Fallavollita
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Interdisciplinary School of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ipsit Vahia
- Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Soham Rej
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Jewish General Hospital, Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Harmehr Sekhon
- Jewish General Hospital, Lady Davis Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
- GeriPARTy Research Lab, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Nien JT, Gill DL, Chou TY, Liu CS, Geng X, Hung TM, Chang YK. Effect of brief mindfulness and relaxation inductions on anxiety, affect and brain activation in athletes. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2023; 67:102422. [PMID: 37665875 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
The mindfulness-based intervention and psychological skills training are often used for maintaining the mental health or reducing undesirable mental states in athletes. However, their differences in acute effects on mental health and underlying neural mechanism are not well understood. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to examine the differential effects of brief mindfulness induction (MI) and relaxation induction (RI) on state anxiety, affect and brain activation. Thirty-five track and field athletes were recruited for this study. Using a within-subjects crossover design, participants underwent three conditions that incorporated two 30-min experimental conditions (i.e., MI or RI) and a control condition. State anxiety and affect were assessed before and after intervention, and brain activation (i.e., theta, alpha bands) were recorded by electroencephalography (EEG) during each 30-min condition. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that MI and RI similarly reduced state anxiety and negative affect from pre-test to post-test compared to the control condition. In terms of positive affect, there were no significant differences among the three conditions across times. Furthermore, participants exhibited higher frontal theta power during the MI and RI than control condition, whereas no differences in alpha power were observed among conditions. The current study provides initial evidence from an electrophysiological perspective that brief MI and RI both improve the negative psychological states in individual sport athletes through similar neural mechanisms. Nevertheless, the moderating effects of training experiences and long-term interventions on mental state and EEG activity in athletes need further investigation in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jui-Ti Nien
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Diane L Gill
- Department of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, NC, USA
| | - Ting-Yin Chou
- Department of Sports Training Science-Athletics, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chen-Shuo Liu
- Department of Sports Training Science-Combats, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Xiaoling Geng
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Tsung-Min Hung
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Kai Chang
- Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan; Institute for Research Excellence in Learning Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Abdellahi MEA, Koopman ACM, Treder MS, Lewis PA. Targeted memory reactivation in human REM sleep elicits detectable reactivation. eLife 2023; 12:e84324. [PMID: 37350572 PMCID: PMC10425171 DOI: 10.7554/elife.84324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
It is now well established that memories can reactivate during non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep, but the question of whether equivalent reactivation can be detected in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is hotly debated. To examine this, we used a technique called targeted memory reactivation (TMR) in which sounds are paired with learned material in wake, and then re-presented in subsequent sleep, in this case REM, to trigger reactivation. We then used machine learning classifiers to identify reactivation of task-related motor imagery from wake in REM sleep. Interestingly, the strength of measured reactivation positively predicted overnight performance improvement. These findings provide the first evidence for memory reactivation in human REM sleep after TMR that is directly related to brain activity during wakeful task performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud EA Abdellahi
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)CardiffUnited Kingdom
| | - Anne CM Koopman
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)CardiffUnited Kingdom
| | - Matthias S Treder
- School of Computer Science and Informatics, Cardiff UniversityCardiffUnited Kingdom
| | - Penelope A Lewis
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC)CardiffUnited Kingdom
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Gao J, Sun R, Leung HK, Roberts A, Wu BWY, Tsang EW, Tang ACW, Sik HH. Increased neurocardiological interplay after mindfulness meditation: a brain oscillation-based approach. Front Hum Neurosci 2023; 17:1008490. [PMID: 37405324 PMCID: PMC10315629 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2023.1008490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Brain oscillations facilitate interaction within the brain network and between the brain and heart activities, and the alpha wave, as a prominent brain oscillation, plays a major role in these coherent activities. We hypothesize that mindfully breathing can make the brain and heart activities more coherent in terms of increased connectivity between the electroencephalogram (EEG) and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals. Methods Eleven participants (28-52 years) attended 8 weeks of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training. EEG and ECG data of two states of mindful breathing and rest, both eye-closed, were recorded before and after the training. EEGLAB was used to analyze the alpha band (8-12 Hz) power, alpha peak frequency (APF), peak power and coherence. FMRIB toolbox was used to extract the ECG data. Heart coherence (HC) and heartbeat evoked potential (HEP) were calculated for further correlation analysis. Results After 8 weeks of MBSR training, the correlation between APF and HC increased significantly in the middle frontal region and bilateral temporal regions. The correlation between alpha coherence and heart coherence had similar changes, while alpha peak power did not reflect such changes. In contrast, spectrum analysis alone did not show difference before and after MBSR training. Conclusion The brain works in rhythmic oscillation, and this rhythmic connection becomes more coherent with cardiac activity after 8 weeks of MBSR training. Individual APF is relatively stable and its interplay with cardiac activity may be a more sensitive index than power spectrum by monitoring the brain-heart connection. This preliminary study has important implications for the neuroscientific measurement of meditative practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junling Gao
- Buddhist Practices and Counselling Science Lab, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Rui Sun
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hang Kin Leung
- Buddhist Practices and Counselling Science Lab, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Adam Roberts
- Singapore-ETH Centre, Future Resilient Systems Programme, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bonnie Wai Yan Wu
- Buddhist Practices and Counselling Science Lab, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Eric W. Tsang
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Andrew C. W. Tang
- Department of Psychology, HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hin Hung Sik
- Buddhist Practices and Counselling Science Lab, Centre of Buddhist Studies, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Lazarou I, Oikonomou VP, Mpaltadoros L, Grammatikopoulou M, Alepopoulos V, Stavropoulos TG, Bezerianos A, Nikolopoulos S, Kompatsiaris I, Tsolaki M. Eliciting brain waves of people with cognitive impairment during meditation exercises using portable electroencephalography in a smart-home environment: a pilot study. Front Aging Neurosci 2023; 15:1167410. [PMID: 37388185 PMCID: PMC10306118 DOI: 10.3389/fnagi.2023.1167410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Objectives Meditation imparts relaxation and constitutes an important non-pharmacological intervention for people with cognitive impairment. Moreover, EEG has been widely used as a tool for detecting brain changes even at the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The current study investigates the effect of meditation practices on the human brain across the AD spectrum by using a novel portable EEG headband in a smart-home environment. Methods Forty (40) people (13 Healthy Controls-HC, 14 with Subjective Cognitive Decline-SCD and 13 with Mild Cognitive Impairment-MCI) participated practicing Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (Session 2-MBSR) and a novel adaptation of the Kirtan Kriya meditation to the Greek culture setting (Session 3-KK), while a Resting State (RS) condition was undertaken at baseline and follow-up (Session 1-RS Baseline and Session 4-RS Follow-Up). The signals were recorded by using the Muse EEG device and brain waves were computed (alpha, theta, gamma, and beta). Results Analysis was conducted on four-electrodes (AF7, AF8, TP9, and TP10). Statistical analysis included the Kruskal-Wallis (KW) nonparametric analysis of variance. The results revealed that both states of MBSR and KK lead to a marked difference in the brain's activation patterns across people at different cognitive states. Wilcoxon Signed-ranks test indicated for HC that theta waves at TP9, TP10 and AF7, AF8 in Session 3-KK were statistically significantly reduced compared to Session 1-RS Z = -2.271, p = 0.023, Z = -3.110, p = 0.002 and Z = -2.341, p = 0.019, Z = -2.132, p = 0.033, respectively. Conclusion The results showed the potential of the parameters used between the various groups (HC, SCD, and MCI) as well as between the two meditation sessions (MBSR and KK) in discriminating early cognitive decline and brain alterations in a smart-home environment without medical support.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ioulietta Lazarou
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Vangelis P. Oikonomou
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Lampros Mpaltadoros
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Margarita Grammatikopoulou
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Vasilis Alepopoulos
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Thanos G. Stavropoulos
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Anastasios Bezerianos
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Spiros Nikolopoulos
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis Kompatsiaris
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Magda Tsolaki
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Information Technologies Institute (ITI), Thessaloniki, Greece
- 1st Department of Neurology, Faculty of Health Sciences, G.H. “AHEPA”, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
- Greek Association of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders (GAADRD), Thessaloniki, Greece
- Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation (CIRI–AUTh), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Paoletti P, Pellegrino M, Ben-Soussan TD. A Three-Fold Integrated Perspective on Healthy Development: An Opinion Paper. Brain Sci 2023; 13:857. [PMID: 37371337 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13060857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mental health and wellbeing are increasingly threatened in the current post-pandemic times, with stress, especially in students, reaching preoccupying levels. In addition, while many educational programs are unidimensional (i.e., lacking integration between physical, emotional and cognitive elements), there are ways to promote physical, social and mental health in children and adolescents. In this opinion paper, we will discuss the importance of an integrative approach for health development and examine relevant factors, such as awareness and emotional intelligence. We will highlight evidence ranging from behavioral to electrophysiological, structural and molecular, and report several recent studies supporting the effectiveness of a holistic approach in supporting wellbeing and creativity in children and adults, and detailing a specific paradigm named the Quadrato Motor Training (QMT). QMT is a specifically structured movement meditation, involving cognitive, motor and affective components. Finally, we will support a holistic view on education, integrating motion, emotion and cognition to develop a person-centered, or in this case student-centered, approach to wellbeing and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizio Paoletti
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | - Michele Pellegrino
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
| | - Tal Dotan Ben-Soussan
- Research Institute for Neuroscience, Education and Didactics, Patrizio Paoletti Foundation for Development and Communication, 06081 Assisi, Italy
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40
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Lin Y, Li Q, Chen A. The causal mechanisms underlying analogical reasoning performance improvement by executive attention intervention. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:3241-3253. [PMID: 36971608 PMCID: PMC10171494 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Analogical reasoning is important for human. We have found that a short executive attention intervention improved analogical reasoning performance in healthy young adults. Nevertheless, previous electrophysiological evidence was limited for comprehensively characterizing the neural mechanisms underlying the improvement. And although we hypothesized that the intervention improved active inhibitory control and attention shift first and then relation integration, it is still unclear whether there are two sequential cognitive neural activities were indeed changed during analogical reasoning. In the present study, we combined hypothesis with multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to explore the effects of the intervention on electrophysiology. Results showed that in the resting state after the intervention, alpha and high gamma power and the functional connectivity between the anterior and middle in the alpha band could discriminate the experimental group from the active control group, respectively. These indicated that the intervention influenced the activity of multiple bands and the interaction of frontal and parietal regions. In the analogical reasoning, alpha, theta, and gamma activities could also fulfill such discrimination, and furthermore, they were sequential (alpha first, theta, and gamma later). These results directly supported our previous hypothesis. The present study deepens our understanding about how executive attention contributes to higher-order cognition.
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Lomas T, VanderWeele TJ. The Mental Illness-Health Matrix and the Mental State Space Matrix: Complementary meta-conceptual frameworks for evaluating psychological states. J Clin Psychol 2023. [PMID: 36916858 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE It is increasingly appreciated that mental health may not just involve a relative absence of mental illness, but the active presence of positive psychological desiderata. However, research attention on mental illness and health has tended to remain siloed and disconnected-proceeding along parallel tracks-with their potential relationship underexplored and undertheorized. As such, we sought to develop theoretical models to help us better understand the interaction of these two domains of experience. METHODS Through extensive engagement with relevant literature, we created two complementary meta-conceptual frameworks to represent and evaluate states of mental illness and health. RESULTS The Mental Illness-Health Matrix allows different forms of mental illness and health to be situated and assessed within a common framework. The Mental State Space Matrix further enables these various forms to be conceptualized and appraised in terms of numerous common parameters (e.g., valence and arousal). CONCLUSION It is hoped that these frameworks will stimulate and support further research on the inter-relational dynamics of illness and health. Indeed, the matrices themselves are provisional works-in-progress, with their articulation here intended as a foundation for their further development as understanding of these topics evolves and improves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Lomas
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Tyler J VanderWeele
- Departments of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Lomas T, VanderWeele TJ. Toward an Expanded Taxonomy of Happiness: A Conceptual Analysis of 16 Distinct Forms of Mental Wellbeing. JOURNAL OF HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1177/00221678231155512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent decades have seen a surge of scientific interest in happiness. However, its theoretical conceptualization is a work in progress. Much of the literature focuses on two main forms: hedonic (encompassing life satisfaction and positive affect) and eudaimonic (encompassing phenomena such as character development and meaning in life). However, this binary has been critiqued as being incomplete, in part because it reflects a Western-centric perspective that overlooks forms emphasized in non-Western cultures. As a result, scholars have begun to highlight other forms besides hedonia and eudaimonia. This article surveys the literature to identify 16 potential forms in total, classified according to whether they primarily pertain to feelings (hedonic, contented, mature, chaironic, and vital), thought (evaluative, meaningful, intellective, aesthetic, and absorbed) or action (eudaimonic, masterful, accomplished, harmonic, nirvanic, and relational). This article thus offers a more expansive, albeit still just provisional, taxonomy of this vital and still-evolving topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Lomas
- Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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Bouhout S, Aubert A, Vial F, Choquenet B. Physiological benefits associated with facial skincare: Well-being from emotional perception to neuromodulation. Int J Cosmet Sci 2023. [PMID: 36872851 DOI: 10.1111/ics.12855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aimed to demonstrate the specific nature of well-being induced by a facial skincare by deciphering its physiological and psychological impacts out of a therapeutic context. METHODS Objective and subjective evaluations were performed on two groups of healthy participants. One group of 32 participants received 1-h facial skincare, while the second group of 31 participants were subjected to a resting condition during the same period. Electroencephalography, electrocardiography, electromyography, and respiratory rate measurements were assessed before and after both experimental conditions. Prosody and semantic analyses were also performed to evaluate the emotional perception in both groups. RESULTS Physiological relaxation was observed after both experimental sessions; however, the effect was higher after the facial skincare. The cerebral, cardiac, respiratory, and muscular relaxation induced by facial skincare was 42%, 13%, 12%, and 17% higher, respectively, than that induced by the resting condition. In addition, non-verbal and verbal assessments showed that positive emotions were more markedly associated with the perception of facial skincare. CONCLUSION The comparison between parameters recorded after a rest period allowed us to distinguish the physiological and psychological signature of facial skincare. Moreover, our results suggest an involvement of positive emotions in the physiological relaxation enhancement. All these observations contribute to the very scarce data available on the specific profile of well-being associated with facial skincare.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Francis Vial
- Emospin, Tours, France
- Spincontrol, Tours, France
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44
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Jaiswal S, Huang SL, Juan CH, Huang NE, Liang WK. Resting state dynamics in people with varying degrees of anxiety and mindfulness: A nonlinear and nonstationary perspective. Neuroscience 2023; 519:177-197. [PMID: 36966877 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2023.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety and mindfulness are two inversely linked traits shown to be involved in various physiological domains. The current study used resting state electroencephalography (EEG) to explore differences between people with low mindfulness-high anxiety (LMHA) (n = 29) and high mindfulness-low anxiety (HMLA) (n = 27). The resting EEG was collected for a total of 6 min, with a randomized sequence of eyes closed and eyes opened conditions. Two advanced EEG analysis methods, Holo-Hilbert Spectral Analysis and Holo-Hilbert cross-frequency phase clustering (HHCFPC) were employed to estimate the power-based amplitude modulation of carrier frequencies, and cross-frequency coupling between low and high frequencies, respectively. The presence of higher oscillation power across the delta and theta frequencies in the LMHA group than the HMLA group might have been due to the similarity between the resting state and situations of uncertainty, which reportedly triggers motivational and emotional arousal. Although these two groups were formed based on their trait anxiety and trait mindfulness scores, it was anxiety that was found to be significant predictor of the EEG power, not mindfulness. It led us to conclude that it might be anxiety, not mindfulness, which might have contributed to higher electrophysiological arousal. Additionally, a higher δ-β and δ-γ CFC in LMHA suggested greater local-global neural integration, consequently a greater functional association between cortex and limbic system than in the HMLA group. The present cross-sectional study may guide future longitudinal studies on anxiety aiming with interventions such as mindfulness to characterize the individuals based on their resting state physiology.
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Duda AT, Clarke AR, De Blasio FM, Rout TW, Barry RJ. The Effects of Concentrative Meditation on the Electroencephalogram in Novice Meditators. Clin EEG Neurosci 2023; 54:130-140. [PMID: 34894805 DOI: 10.1177/15500594211065897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Following investigations into the benefits of meditation on psychological health and well-being, research is now seeking to understand the mechanisms underlying these outcomes. This study aimed to identify natural alpha and theta frequency components during eyes-closed resting and concentrative meditation states and examined their differences within and between two testing sessions. Novice meditators had their EEG recorded during eyes-closed resting and concentrative meditation conditions, before and after engaging in a brief daily concentrative meditation practice for approximately one-month. Separate frequency Principal Components Analyses (f-PCA) yielded four spectral components of interest, congruent between both conditions and sessions: Delta-Theta-Alpha, Low Alpha, High Alpha, and Alpha-Beta. While all four components showed some increase in the meditation condition at the second session, only Low Alpha (∼9.5-10.0 Hz) showed similar increases while resting. These findings support the use of f-PCA as a novel method of data analysis in the investigation of psychophysiological states in meditation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander T Duda
- Brain & Behaviour Research Institute and School of Psychology, 8691University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Adam R Clarke
- Brain & Behaviour Research Institute and School of Psychology, 8691University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Frances M De Blasio
- Brain & Behaviour Research Institute and School of Psychology, 8691University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Thomas W Rout
- Brain & Behaviour Research Institute and School of Psychology, 8691University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
| | - Robert J Barry
- Brain & Behaviour Research Institute and School of Psychology, 8691University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW, Australia
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Aguerre NV, Gómez-Ariza CJ, Ibáñez-Molina AJ, Bajo MT. Electrophysiological correlates of dispositional mindfulness: A quantitative and complexity EEG study. Br J Psychol 2023. [PMID: 36748402 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
While growing evidence supports that dispositional mindfulness relates to psychological health and cognitive enhancement, to date there have been only a few attempts to characterize its neural underpinnings. In the present study, we aimed at exploring the electrophysiological (EEG) signature of dispositional mindfulness using quantitative and complexity measures of EEG during resting state and while performing a learning task. Hundred twenty participants were assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and underwent 5 min eyes-closed resting state and 5 min at task EEG recording. We hypothesized that high mindfulness individuals would show patterns of brain activity related to (a) lower involvement of the default mode network (DMN) at rest (reduced frontal gamma power) and (b) a state of 'task readiness' reflected in a more similar pattern from rest to task (reduced overall q-EEG power at rest but not at task), as compared to their low mindfulness counterparts. Dispositional mindfulness was significantly linked to reduced frontal gamma power at rest and lower overall power during rest but not at task. In addition, we found a trend towards higher entropy during task performance in mindful individuals, which has recently been reported during mindfulness meditation. Altogether, our results add to those from expert meditators to show that high (dispositional) mindfulness seems to have a specific electrophysiological pattern characteristic of less involvement of the DMN and mind-wandering processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuria Victoria Aguerre
- Department of Experimental Psychology - Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | | | - María Teresa Bajo
- Department of Experimental Psychology - Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Ng HYH, Wu CW, Huang FY, Huang CM, Hsu CF, Chao YP, Jung TP, Chuang CH. Enhanced electroencephalography effective connectivity in frontal low-gamma band correlates of emotional regulation after mindfulness training. J Neurosci Res 2023; 101:901-915. [PMID: 36717762 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Practicing mindfulness, focusing attention on the internal and external experiences occurring in the present moment with open and nonjudgement stance, can lead to the development of emotional regulation skills. Yet, the effective connectivity of brain regions during mindfulness has been largely unexplored. Studies have shown that mindfulness practice promotes functional connectivity in practitioners, potentially due to improved emotional regulation abilities and increased connectivity in the lateral prefrontal areas. To examine the changes in effective connectivity due to mindfulness training, we analyzed electroencephalogram (EEG) signals taken before and after mindfulness training, focusing on training-related effective connectivity changes in the frontal area. The mindfulness training group participated in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program. The control group did not take part. Regardless of the specific mindfulness practice used, low-gamma band effective connectivity increased globally after the mindfulness training. High-beta band effective connectivity increased globally only during Breathing. Moreover, relatively higher outgoing effective connectivity strength was seen during Resting and Breathing and Body-scan. By analyzing the changes in outgoing and incoming connectivity edges, both F7 and F8 exhibited strong parietal connectivity during Resting and Breathing. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the changes in effective connectivity of the right lateral prefrontal area predicted mindfulness and emotional regulation abilities. These results partially support the theory that the lateral prefrontal areas have top-down modulatory control, as these areas have high outflow effective connectivity, implying that mindfulness training cultivates better emotional regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hei-Yin Hydra Ng
- Research Center for Education and Mind Sciences, College of Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling, College of Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Changwei W Wu
- Graduate Institute of Mind, Brain and Consciousness, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Brain and Consciousness Research Center, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Feng-Ying Huang
- Department of Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Mao Huang
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,Center for Intelligent Drug Systems and Smart Bio-devices (IDS2B), National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
| | - Chia-Fen Hsu
- Graduate Institute of Behavioral Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Child Psychiatry, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ping Chao
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Tzyy-Ping Jung
- Institute for Neural Computation and Institute of Engineering in Medicine, University of California, San Diego, California, La Jolla, USA
| | - Chun-Hsiang Chuang
- Research Center for Education and Mind Sciences, College of Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.,Institute of Information Systems and Applications, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan
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Fink M, Pasche S, Schmidt K, Tewes M, Schuler M, Mülley BW, Schadendorf D, Scherbaum N, Kowalski A, Skoda EM, Teufel M. Neurofeedback Treatment Affects Affective Symptoms, But Not Perceived Cognitive Impairment in Cancer Patients: Results of an Explorative Randomized Controlled Trial. Integr Cancer Ther 2023; 22:15347354221149950. [PMID: 36691908 PMCID: PMC9893099 DOI: 10.1177/15347354221149950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND EEG biofeedback (NF) is an established therapy to enable individuals to influence their own cognitive-emotional state by addressing changes in brainwaves. Psycho-oncological approaches of NF in cancer patients are rare and effects are hardly studied. OBJECTIVE The aim of this explorative, randomized controlled trial was to test the effectiveness of an alpha and theta NF training protocol, compared to mindfulness based therapy as an established psycho-oncological treatment. METHODS Of initially 62 screened patients, 56 were included (inclusion criteria were cancer independent of tumor stage, age >18 years, German speaking; exclusion criteria suicidal ideation, brain tumor). Randomization and stratification (tumor stage) was conducted by a computer system. Participants got 10 sessions over 5 weeks, in (a) an NF intervention (n = 21; 13 female, 8 male; MAge = 52.95(10 519); range = 31 to 73 years)) or (b) a mindfulness group therapy as control condition (CG; n = 21; ie, 15 female, 6 male; MAge = 50.33(8708); range = 32 to 67 years)). Outcome parameters included self-reported cognitive impairment (PCI) as primary outcome, and secondary outcomes of emotional distress (DT, PHQ-8, GAD-7), fatigue (MFI-20), rumination (RSQ), quality of life (QoL, EORTC-30 QoL), self-efficacy (GSE), and changes in EEG alpha, and theta-beta band performance in the NF condition. RESULTS No changes in cognitive impairment were found (P = .079), neither in NF nor CG. High affective distress was evident, with 70.7% showing elevated distress and 34.1% showing severe depressive symptoms. Affective symptoms of distress (P ≤ .01), depression (P ≤ .05) and generalized anxiety (P ≤ .05) decreased significantly over time. No differences between NF and CG were found. There was a significant increase of the alpha band (P ≤ .05; N = 15) over the NF sessions. Self-efficacy predicted QoL increase in NF with P ≤ .001 and an explained variance of 48.2%. CONCLUSION This is the first study to investigate NF technique with regard to basic mechanisms of effectiveness in a sample of cancer patients, compared to an established psycho-oncological intervention in this field. Though there were no changes in cognitive impairment, present data show that NF improves affective symptoms comparably to mindfulness-based therapy and even more pronounced in QoL and self-efficacy.Trial registration: ID: DRKS00015773.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Fink
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany,Madeleine Fink, Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LVR-University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Virchowstraße 174, Essen 45147, Germany. Emails: ;
| | | | | | - Mitra Tewes
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Martin Schuler
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany,Partner Site University Hospital Essen, and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Bernhard W. Mülley
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany,University of Wuppertal, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Dirk Schadendorf
- University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Axel Kowalski
- NeuroFit GmbH, Krefeld, Germany,IB University of Applied Health and Social Sciences, Berlin, Germany
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Kuo BC, Yeh LC, Chen FW, Chang CS, Hsieh CW, Yeh YY. Temporal profiles of cortical oscillations in novice performers for goal-directed aiming in a shooting task. Biol Psychol 2023; 176:108482. [PMID: 36574879 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2022.108482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Goal-directed aiming relies on the ability to control attention and visuomotor movements while preparing for motor execution. Research in precision sports has investigated cortical oscillations for supporting expert performance. However, the results may be influenced by adaptive and strategic behaviors after intensive training. Whether and at what time points distinctive oscillations support goal-directed aiming without such training remains elusive. In this electroencephalographic (EEG) study, we investigated how the theta, alpha and beta oscillations change to support accurate aiming before novices took an action. We first conducted a model-based analysis to examine the correlation of cortical oscillations with accurate shooting on a trial-by-trial basis in a within-individual manner. The results showed that alpha and beta oscillations at different time points during the aiming period were better predictors of aiming accuracy. We then compared the oscillatory power for good versus poor performance. The results showed decreases in the alpha and beta power across distributed cortical areas and an increase in the frontal theta power successively before shot release. Moreover, greater intertrial phase coherence was observed for good performance than for poor performance in posterior alpha activity and anterior beta activity during the aiming period. In conclusion, these results advance our understanding of the temporal dynamics of theta, alpha and beta oscillations in orchestrating goal setting, motor preparation and focused attention to monitoring both external and internal states for accurate aiming. Among the three, alpha and beta oscillations are critical for predicting aiming performance and theta oscillations reflect effortful cognitive control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Cheng Kuo
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Lu-Chun Yeh
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fang-Wen Chen
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chao-Shiung Chang
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chang-Wei Hsieh
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yei-Yu Yeh
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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50
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Luo X, Che X, Li H. Concurrent TMS-EEG and EEG reveal neuroplastic and oscillatory changes associated with self-compassion and negative emotions. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100343. [PMID: 36299492 PMCID: PMC9577271 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2022.100343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Objective Self-compassion has a consensual relevance for overall mental health, but its mechanisms remain unknown. Using intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) and concurrent transcranial magnetic stimulation-electroencephalography (TMS-EEG), this study investigated the causal relationship of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with self-compassion and explored the changes in neuroplasticity and neural dynamics. Method Thirty-two healthy participants received iTBS or sham stimulation over the DLPFC, before and after which they were instructed to either use self-compassionate strategies or to be rejected in the context of social rejection and to report the level of self-compassion or negative affect. TMS-evoked potentials were evaluated as novel neuroplastic techniques with N45, P60, N100, and P180. Results iTBS uniquely decreased P180 amplitude measured with TMS-EEG whereby sham stimulation had no effect on neuroplasticity. In line with neuroplasticity changes, iTBS enhanced a widespread gamma band power and coherence, which correlated consistently with increased engagement in self-compassion. Meanwhile, iTBS demonstrated opposite effects on theta activity dependent on the social contexts whereby self-compassion decreased and social rejection enhanced it respectively. This unique effect of iTBS on theta activity was also supplemented by the enhancement of theta band coherence following iTBS. Conclusions We found a causal relationship between DLPFC and self-compassion. We also provide evidence to indicate widespread gamma activity and connectivity to correlate with self-compassion as well as the critical role of the DLPFC in modulating theta activity and negative emotions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Luo
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China,Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Educational Science, Ministry of Education; Centre for Studies of Psychological Applications; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science; School of Psychology, South China Normal University
| | - Xianwei Che
- Centre for Cognition and Brain Disorders, the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China,TMS Centre, Deqing Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hong Li
- School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China,Key Laboratory of Brain Cognition and Educational Science, Ministry of Education; Centre for Studies of Psychological Applications; Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science; School of Psychology, South China Normal University,Institute for Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China,Corresponding author.
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