Mindfulness-based intervention reduce interference of negative stimuli to working memory in individuals with subclinical depression: A randomized controlled fMRI study.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP January 1, 2024 Chengjin Hong, Cody Ding, Yiwen Chen et al. 6 citations
A randomized controlled trial with 42 participants found that combining mindfulness-based cognitive therapy with loving-kindness meditation altered brain activity in people with subclinical depression. During a task involving negative emotional faces, the meditation group showed greater activation in visual processing areas. At rest, they had increased connectivity between brain regions linked to attention and emotion regulation. Activity in cognitive control regions decreased while sensorimotor regions increased. These neural changes suggest the therapy may alleviate depression by improving executive function when processing negative stimuli.