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Mas-Cuesta L, Baltruschat S, Cándido A, Verdejo-Lucas C, Catena-Verdejo E, Catena A. Brain changes following mindfulness: Reduced caudate volume is associated with decreased positive urgency. Behav Brain Res 2024; 461:114859. [PMID: 38216057 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Mindfulness training has been shown to improve psychological health and general well-being. However, it is unclear which brain and personality systems may be affected by this practice for improving adaptive behavior and quality of life. The present study explores the effects of a 5-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) at the neuroanatomical level and its relationship with dispositional mindfulness and impulsivity. Sixty-six risky drivers were quasi-randomly assigned to a mindfulness training group (MT) or a control group (N). Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the UPPS-P impulsivity scale twice, at baseline and after receiving the MBI. We observed that MBI changes dispositional mindfulness in the non-reactivity and observing facets. Further, we observed that the magnitude of change in impulsivity was associated with the change in dispositional mindfulness. Whole-brain voxel-wise analysis revealed that the volume of the right caudate nucleus of the MT group (n = 27) showed a reduction compared to that of the control group (n = 33), which increased in terms of the pre-post measurement (MT=-1.76 mm3; N = 6.31 mm3). We also observed that reduced caudate nucleus volume correlated with decreased positive urgency in the MT group. Taken together, our results show that MBI improves the skills of observing and non-reactivity to inner experience, while producing changes in the structure of the caudate nucleus. These structural changes are associated with a reduction in impulsivity levels, decreasing the tendency to act rashly in situations that generate positive emotions and thus facilitating more adaptive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Mas-Cuesta
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18011 Granada, Spain.
| | - Sabina Baltruschat
- Brain Research Imaging Centre, Cardiff University, Maindy Rd, Cardiff CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Antonio Cándido
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18011 Granada, Spain
| | | | | | - Andrés Catena
- School of Psychology, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja s/n, 18011 Granada, Spain
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Baltruschat S, Megías-Robles A, Cándido A, Maldonado A, Catena A. Social and Non-social Brain Areas in Risk Behaviour: The Role of Social Context. Neuroscience 2021; 465:177-186. [PMID: 33961961 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.04.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The human brain contains social areas that become active when interacting with another human. These are located in the ventral prefrontal and mediodorsal cortices, adjacent to areas involved in reward processing and cognitive control. Human behaviour is strongly influenced by the social context. This is particularly evident when observing greater risk propensity in the presence of a peer, particularly during adolescence and emerging adulthood. We explored the widely held view that enhanced risk propensity is the consequence of weak cognitive control. We used brain activity, estimated from EEG recordings in a sample of 114 emerging adult dyads whilst performing a risk perception task, to predict risk behaviour in a subsequent driving simulation task. Being with a peer reduced the ability to discriminate riskiness in images of traffic scenes, biased responses towards the perception of no-risk, and increased the rate of accidents in the driving simulation. Risk perception involved three sets of clusters showing activity only when being with a peer, only when being alone, and in both social contexts. Functional connectivity between the clusters accounted for the later driving simulation performance depending on the peer's presence. In the light of our findings, greater risk-taking, when a peer is present, seems to be triggered by the activation of a different, less efficient brain network for risk-processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Baltruschat
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC). University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | | | - Antonio Cándido
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC). University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Maldonado
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC). University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Andrés Catena
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC). University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Baltruschat S, Cándido A, Maldonado A, Verdejo-Lucas C, Catena-Verdejo E, Catena A. There Is More to Mindfulness Than Emotion Regulation: A Study on Brain Structural Networks. Front Psychol 2021; 12:659403. [PMID: 33868133 PMCID: PMC8046916 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.659403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation are two psychological constructs closely interrelated, and both appear to improve with the long-term practice of mindfulness meditation. These constructs appear to be related to subcortical, prefrontal, and posterior brain areas involved in emotional processing, cognitive control, self-awareness, and mind wandering. However, no studies have yet discerned the neural basis of dispositional mindfulness that are minimally associated with emotion regulation. In the present study, we use a novel brain structural network analysis approach to study the relationship between structural networks and dispositional mindfulness, measured with two different and widely used instruments [Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)], taking into account the effect of emotion regulation difficulties. We observed a number of different brain regions associated with the different scales and dimensions. The total score of FFMQ and MAAS overlap with the bilateral parahippocampal and fusiform gyri. Additionally, MAAS scores were related to the bilateral hippocampus and the FFMQ total score to the right insula and bilateral amygdala. These results indicate that, depending on the instrument used, the characteristics measured could differ and could also involve different brain systems. However, it seems that brain areas related to emotional reactivity and semantic processing are generally related to Dispositional or trait mindfulness (DM), regardless of the instrument used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Baltruschat
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Cándido
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Maldonado
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | | | - Andrés Catena
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Baltruschat S, Mas-Cuesta L, Cándido A, Maldonado A, Verdejo-Lucas C, Catena-Verdejo E, Catena A. Repeat Traffic Offenders Improve Their Performance in Risky Driving Situations and Have Fewer Accidents Following a Mindfulness-Based Intervention. Front Psychol 2021; 11:567278. [PMID: 33551896 PMCID: PMC7854448 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.567278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Risky decision-making is highly influenced by emotions and can lead to fatal consequences. Attempts to reduce risk-taking include the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI), which have shown promising results for both emotion regulation (ER) and risk-taking. However, it is still unclear whether improved emotion regulation is the mechanism responsible for reduced risk-taking. In the present study, we explore the effect of a 5-week MBI on risky driving in a group of repeat traffic offenders by comparing them with non-repeat offenders and repeat offenders without training. We evaluated the driving behavior of the participants through a driving simulation, and self-reported emotion regulation, both before and after the intervention. At baseline, poor emotion regulation was related to a more unstable driving behavior, and speeding. The group that received mindfulness training showed improved performance during risky driving situations and had fewer accidents, although their overall driving behavior remained largely unchanged. The observed trend toward improved emotion regulation was not significant. We discuss whether other effects of MBI – such as self-regulation of attention – could underlie the observed reduction in risky driving in the initial stages. Nonetheless, our findings still confirm the close relationship between emotion regulation skills and risky driving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Baltruschat
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Laura Mas-Cuesta
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Cándido
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Maldonado
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | | | | | - Andrés Catena
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Baltruschat S, Cándido A, Megías A, Maldonado A, Catena A. Risk proneness modulates the impact of impulsivity on brain functional connectivity. Hum Brain Mapp 2019; 41:943-951. [PMID: 31691415 PMCID: PMC7267946 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.24851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Impulsivity and sensation seeking are considered to be among the most important personality traits involved in risk-taking behavior. This study is focused on whether the association of these personality traits and brain functional connectivity depends on individuals' risk proneness. Risk proneness was assessed with the DOSPERT-30 scale and corroborated with performance in a motorcycle simulator. The associations of impulsivity- and sensation seeking-related traits with the between and within coupling of seven major brain functional networks, estimated from electroencefalograma (EEG) recordings, differ according to whether an individual is risk prone or not. In risk-prone individuals, (lack of) premeditation enhanced the coupling of the ventral attention and limbic networks. At the same time, emotion seeking increased the coupling of the frontoparietal network and the default mode networks (DMNs). Finally, (lack of) perseverance had a positive impact on the coupling of anterior temporal nodes of the limbic network whilst having a negative impact on some frontal nodes of the frontoparietal network and the DMNs. In general, the results suggest that the predisposition to behave riskily modulates the way in which impulsivity traits are linked to brain functionality, seemingly making the brain networks prepare for an immediate, automatic, and maladaptive response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabina Baltruschat
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Antonio Cándido
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Alberto Megías
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.,Department of Basic Psychology, University of Malaga, Malaga, Spain
| | - Antonio Maldonado
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Andrés Catena
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain
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Lozano LM, Megías A, Catena A, Perales JC, Baltruschat S, Cándido A. Spanish validation of the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT-30) Scale. Psicothema 2017; 29:111-118. [PMID: 28126068 DOI: 10.7334/psicothema2016.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a Spanish version of the short Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT-30) scale, measuring risk-taking behavior, risk perception, and expected beneficial consequences (from taking risks) in five life domains: ethics, finance, health/security, recreational, and social decisions. METHOD The scale was back-translated, and administered online to 826 participants. Validity evidence was tested using correlations with construct-related instruments (UPPS-P and SSS-V), as well as using factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability was calculated with the ordinal Alpha coefficient, and gender differences were considered. RESULTS Internal consistency was good, and factor analysis confirmed the five factors proposed by the authors. With respect to the external validity, high correlations with the positive urgency and the sensation seeking subscales of the UPPS-P, as well as with the thrill and adventure seeking and disinhibition subscales of the SSS-V were found. Finally, gender differences were found in all subscales and domains, with men tending to take more risks, perceive less risk and expect more beneficial consequences, except for the social domain where an inverse pattern was found. CONCLUSIONS As these findings are in line with the original version, they indicate the scale was successfully adapted.
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Benedikt A, Baltruschat S, Scholz B, Bursen A, Arrey TN, Meyer B, Varagnolo L, Müller AM, Karas M, Dingermann T, Marschalek R. The leukemogenic AF4-MLL fusion protein causes P-TEFb kinase activation and altered epigenetic signatures. Leukemia 2010; 25:135-44. [PMID: 21030982 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2010.249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Expression of the AF4-MLL fusion protein in murine hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells results in the development of proB acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In this study, we affinity purified the AF4-MLL and AF4 protein complexes to elucidate their function. We observed that the AF4 complex consists of 11 binding partners and exhibits positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb)-mediated activation of promoter-arrested RNA polymerase (pol) II in conjunction with several chromatin-modifying activities. In contrast, the AF4-MLL complex consists of at least 16 constituents including P-TEFb kinase, H3K4(me3) and H3K79(me3) histone methyltransferases (HMT), a protein arginine N-methyltransferase and a histone acetyltransferase. These findings suggest that the AF4-MLL protein disturbs the fine-tuned activation cycle of promoter-arrested RNA Pol II and causes altered histone methylation signatures. Thus, we propose that these two processes are key to trigger cellular reprogramming that leads to the onset of acute leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Benedikt
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology/ZAFES, Goethe-University of Frankfurt, Biocenter, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
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Benedikt A, Baltruschat S, Arrey TN, Meyer B, Karas M, Bursen A, Dingermann T, Marschalek R. The human AF4 and AF4·MLL multiprotein complexes provide functions in transcription and epigenetic processes. Klin Padiatr 2009. [DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1222624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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