Science Advances
May 20, 2022
Tammi R. A. Kral, Kaley Davis, Cole Korponay et al.
67 citations
A large, rigorously controlled study failed to find evidence that an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course changes brain structure. Combining data from two randomized controlled trials with 218 meditation-naïve participants, the study compared MBSR to an active control and a waitlist group. Using structural MRI scans before and after the intervention, researchers assessed gray matter volume, gray matter density, and cortical thickness. No neuroplastic changes were observed in the MBSR group compared to either control group, either across the whole brain or in regions previously reported to change. This contradicts widely referenced earlier claims that MBSR alters brain structure.
Scientific Reports
August 19, 2019
Cole Korponay, Daniela Dentico, Tammi R. A. Kral et al.
49 citations
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.
Frontiers in Psychology
January 28, 2021
Dylan Thomas Lott, Tenzin Yeshi, N. Norchung et al.
18 citations
Recent EEG studies on the early postmortem interval suggest the persistence of electrophysiological coherence and connectivity in the brain of animals and humans, reinforcing the need for further investigation of brain activity during the dying process. Under the direction of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, research was conducted in India on a postmortem meditative state (tukdam) cultivated by some Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, in which decomposition is putatively delayed. For healthy baseline and postmortem subjects, resting state EEG, mismatch negativity, and auditory brainstem response data were collected. Living subjects displayed well-defined MMN and ABR responses, but no recognizable EEG waveforms were discernable in any of the tukdam cases.
March 30, 2021
Matthew J. Hirshberg, Corrina Frye, Cortland J. Dahl et al.
5 citations
preprint
A four-week smartphone-based meditation app (Healthy Minds Program) reduced psychological distress and improved well-being among school system employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a randomized wait-list controlled trial with 662 participants (64% teachers), those assigned to the app showed significantly larger reductions in distress immediately after the intervention and at a three-month follow-up, with similar benefits on secondary outcomes such as perseverative thinking and social connection. The app was equally effective for participants with elevated baseline anxiety and depressive symptoms, and no evidence of elevated adverse events was found. The program may offer a scalable approach to supporting educator mental health.
February 19, 2023
Kevin M. Riordan, Otto Simonsson, Corrina Frye et al.
2 citations
preprint
A two-week compassion-based meditation intervention delivered via the Healthy Minds Program app led to improvements in psychological distress, experiential avoidance, fear of missing out, loneliness, and self-compassion among undergraduates with clinically elevated depression and/or anxiety. Participants were randomized to either one 20-minute meditation per day (Massed condition) or two 10-minute meditations per day (Distributed condition). Both groups showed similar improvements, with no significant differences between conditions on any outcome. When total daily meditation time is held constant, distributing practice across the day does not appear to influence outcomes for distressed beginners, supporting flexibility in meditation scheduling.
medRxiv
June 16, 2021
Tammi R. A. Kral, Kaley Davis, Cole Korponay et al.
2 citations
preprint
A large, rigorously controlled study combining data from two three-arm randomized controlled trials found no evidence that an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) course produces changes in brain structure. Meditation-naive participants (218 total) were randomly assigned to a waitlist, an 8-week MBSR program, or a validated active control group. Structural MRI scans taken before and after the intervention showed no significant differences in gray matter volume, gray matter density, or cortical thickness between MBSR and either control group, at either the whole-brain level or in brain regions previously linked to MBSR. These results fail to replicate earlier, widely cited claims of MBSR-induced neuroplasticity.