Effect of an 18-Month Meditation Training on Regional Brain Volume and Perfusion in Older Adults
Gaël Chételat, Antoine Lutz, Olga Klimecki, Eric Frison, Julien Asselineau, Marco Schlosser, Eider M. Arenaza‐Urquijo, Florence Mezenge, Elizabeth Kuhn, Inès Moulinet, Edelweiss Touron, Sophie Dautricourt, Claire André, Cassandre Palix, Valentin Ourry, Francesca Felisatti, Julie Gonneaud, Brigitte Landeau, Géraldine Rauchs, Anne Chocat, Anne Quillard, Eglantine Ferrand Devouge, Patrik Vuilleumier, Vincent de la Sayette, Denis Vivien, Fabienne Collette, Géraldine Poisnel, Natalie L. Marchant, Florence Allais, E. Urquijo, Sebastian Baez Lugo, Martine Batchelor, Axel Beaugonin, Alexandre Bejanin, Pierre Champetier, Roxane Coueron, Robin de Florès, Pascal Delamillieure, Marion Delarue, Yacila Deza Araujo, Antoine Garnier Crussard, Francis Gheysen, Marc Heidmann, Thien Huong Tran, Frank Jessen, Pierre Krolak Salmon, Gwendoline Le Du, Valérie Lefranc, José Luís Molinuevo, Léo Paly, Stefano Poletti, Stéphane Rehel, Florence Requier, Eric Salmon, Raquel Sanchez, Corinne Schimmer, Christine Schwimmer, Siya Sherif, Matthieu Vanhoutte, Cédrick Wallet, Caitlin Ware, Miranka Wirth
JAMA Neurology October 10, 2022 DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.3185 via OpenAlex
Summary
An 18-month randomized trial of meditation training versus non-native language training or no intervention in cognitively unimpaired adults aged 65 and older found no significant changes in brain volume or perfusion of the anterior cingulate cortex or insula from meditation. Meditation did produce superior improvements in a composite score of attention regulation, socioemotional capacities, and self-knowledge compared with language training. The findings confirm the feasibility of both meditation and language training in older adults, with high adherence and low dropout, but the positive behavioral effects of meditation were not accompanied by measurable changes in the targeted brain structures.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 137 |
| Population | Community-dwelling cognitively unimpaired adults 65 years and older in France |
| Interventions | Meditation-based training non-native language (English) training |
| Duration | 18-month intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Randomized controlled trial Insula Dementia Physical therapy |
| Citations | 45 |
| Registration | NCT02977819 |
| Key finding | Meditation training did not significantly change volume or perfusion of the anterior cingulate cortex or insula but improved a composite measure of attention regulation, socioemotional, and self-knowledge capacities compared with non-native language training. |
Abstract
Importance: No lifestyle-based randomized clinical trial directly targets psychoaffective risk factors of dementia. Meditation practices recently emerged as a promising mental training exercise to foster brain health and reduce dementia risk. Objective: To investigate the effects of meditation training on brain integrity in older adults. Design, Setting, and Participants: Age-Well was a randomized, controlled superiority trial with blinded end point assessment. Community-dwelling cognitively unimpaired adults 65 years and older were enrolled between November 24, 2016, and March 5, 2018, in France. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to (1) an 18-month meditation-based training, (2) a structurally matched non-native language (English) training, or (3) no intervention arm. Analysis took place between December 2020 and October 2021. Interventions: Meditation and non-native language training included 2-hour weekly group sessions, practice of 20 minutes or longer daily at home, and 1-day intensive practices. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes included volume and perfusion of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and insula. Main secondary outcomes included a global composite score capturing metacognitive, prosocial, and self-regulatory capacities and constituent subscores. Results: Among 137 participants (mean [SD] age, 69.4 [3.8] years; 83 [60.6%] female; 54 [39.4%] male) assigned to the meditation (n = 45), non-native language training (n = 46), or no intervention (n = 46) groups, all but 1 completed the trial. There were no differences in volume changes of ACC (0.01 [98.75% CI, -0.02 to 0.05]; P = .36) or insula (0.01 [98.75% CI, -0.02 to 0.03]; P = .58) between meditation and no intervention or non-native language training groups, respectively. Differences in perfusion changes did not reach statistical significance for meditation compared with no intervention in ACC (0.02 [98.75% CI, -0.01 to 0.05]; P = .06) or compared with non-native language training in insula (0.02 [98.75% CI, -0.01 to 0.05]; P = .09). Meditation was superior to non-native language training on 18-month changes in a global composite score capturing attention regulation, socioemotional, and self-knowledge capacities (Cohen d, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.19-0.85]; P = .002). Conclusions and Relevance: The study findings confirm the feasibility of meditation and non-native language training in elderly individuals, with high adherence and very low attrition. Findings also show positive behavioral effects of meditation that were not reflected on volume, and not significantly on perfusion, of target brain areas. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02977819.