The Effect of Mindfulness Meditation on Impulsivity and its Neurobiological Correlates in Healthy Adults
Cole Korponay, Daniela Dentico, Tammi R. A. Kral, Martina Ly, Ayla Kruis, Kaley Davis, Robin I. Goldman, Antoine Lutz, Richard J. Davidson
Scientific Reports August 19, 2019 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47662-y via OpenAlex
Summary
An eight-week mindfulness intervention did not reduce impulsivity on the go/no-go task or Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), nor produce changes in neural correlates such as frontostriatal gray matter, functional connectivity, or dopamine levels compared to active or wait-list control groups. Long-term meditators (LTMs) did not differ from meditation-naïve participants (MNPs) on the go/no-go task, but LTMs self-reported lower attentional impulsivity and higher motor and non-planning impulsivity on the BIS-11. LTMs had less striatal gray matter, greater cortico-striatal-thalamic functional connectivity, and lower spontaneous eye-blink rate than MNPs. Total lifetime practice hours did not significantly relate to impulsivity or neurobiological metrics, suggesting pre-existing differences may account for group differences.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial with active and wait-list control groups, plus cross-sectional comparison of long-term meditators and meditation-naïve participants Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy adults |
| Intervention | Mindfulness meditation |
| Duration | 8-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Impulsivity Barratt impulsiveness scale Attentional control Mindfulness meditation Cognition |
| Citations | 49 |
| Key finding | Neither short- nor long-term mindfulness practice may be effective for reducing impulsive behavior from inhibitory motor control or planning capacity deficits in healthy adults. |
Abstract
Interest has grown in using mindfulness meditation to treat conditions featuring excessive impulsivity. However, while prior studies find that mindfulness practice can improve attention, it remains unclear whether it improves other cognitive faculties whose deficiency can contribute to impulsivity. Here, an eight-week mindfulness intervention did not reduce impulsivity on the go/no-go task or Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), nor produce changes in neural correlates of impulsivity (i.e. frontostriatal gray matter, functional connectivity, and dopamine levels) compared to active or wait-list control groups. Separately, long-term meditators (LTMs) did not perform differently than meditation-naïve participants (MNPs) on the go/no-go task. However, LTMs self-reported lower attentional impulsivity, but higher motor and non-planning impulsivity on the BIS-11 than MNPs. LTMs had less striatal gray matter, greater cortico-striatal-thalamic functional connectivity, and lower spontaneous eye-blink rate (a physiological dopamine indicator) than MNPs. LTM total lifetime practice hours (TLPH) did not significantly relate to impulsivity or neurobiological metrics. Findings suggest that neither short- nor long-term mindfulness practice may be effective for redressing impulsive behavior derived from inhibitory motor control or planning capacity deficits in healthy adults. Given the absence of TLPH relationships to impulsivity or neurobiological metrics, differences between LTMs and MNPs may be attributable to pre-existing differences.