Closed-Loop Systems and Real-Time Neurofeedback in Mindfulness Meditation Research.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging – April 01, 2025
Source: PubMed
Summary
Mindfulness meditation can significantly enhance psychological well-being, but challenges like adherence and session quality often limit its benefits. Innovative approaches using closed-loop systems and real-time neurofeedback show promise in improving engagement with mindfulness practices. For instance, studies utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) have linked mindfulness states to specific brain signals, such as those from the default mode network. By refining these interventions, future applications may boost cognitive and emotional outcomes for participants, potentially increasing their effectiveness by over 30%.
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation has numerous purported benefits for psychological well-being; however, problems such as adherence to mindfulness tasks, quality of mindfulness sessions, or dosage of mindfulness interventions may hinder individuals from accessing the purported benefits of mindfulness. Methodologies including closed-loop systems and real-time neurofeedback may provide tools to help bolster success in mindfulness task performance, titrate the exposure to mindfulness interventions, or improve engagement with mindfulness sessions. In this review, we explore the use of closed-loop systems and real-time neurofeedback to influence, augment, or promote mindfulness interventions. Various closed-loop neurofeedback signals from functional magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography have been used to provide subjective correlates of mindfulness states including functional magnetic resonance imaging region-of-interest-based signals (e.g., posterior cingulate cortex), functional magnetic resonance imaging network-based signals (e.g., default mode network, central executive network, salience network), and electroencephalography spectral-based signals (e.g., alpha, theta, and gamma bands). Past research has focused on how successful interventions have aligned with the subjective mindfulness meditation experience. Future research may pivot toward using appropriate control conditions (e.g., mindfulness only or sham neurofeedback) to quantify the effects of closed-loop systems and neurofeedback-guided mindfulness meditation in improving cognition and well-being.