Francesca Morfini

Department of Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA.

2 papers in the library · 82 citations · publishing 2023

Papers

Reducing default mode network connectivity with mindfulness-based fMRI neurofeedback: a pilot study among adolescents with affective disorder history.

Molecular psychiatry June 1, 2023 Jiahe Zhang, Jovicarole Raya, Francesca Morfini et al. 65 citations

Adolescents with a lifetime history of depression or anxiety (n = 9) participated in a proof-of-concept study using personalized mindfulness-based fMRI neurofeedback to reduce default mode network hyperconnectivity, a neural mechanism linked to depressive symptoms. After a resting state fMRI localizer to map each adolescent's default mode and central executive networks, a brief mindfulness training and neurofeedback session followed. The neurofeedback successfully engaged the target brain state, with participants spending more time with default mode network activation lower than central executive network activation. Within-default mode network connectivity decreased in all nine adolescents, correlating with increased state mindfulness after the session. Reduced within-default mode network connectivity mediated the link between better neurofeedback performance and increased state mindfulness, suggesting this non-invasive method can modulate networks involved in adolescent depression.

DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02032-z Full text

Mindfulness-based real-time fMRI neurofeedback: a randomized controlled trial to optimize dosing for depressed adolescents.

BMC psychiatry October 17, 2023 Paul A Bloom, David Pagliaccio, Jiahe Zhang et al. 17 citations

Adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) may benefit from a non-invasive technique that combines mindfulness with real-time fMRI neurofeedback (mbNF) to reduce activity in the default mode network (DMN), a brain network linked to rumination. In a planned trial, 90 adolescents aged 13–18 with MDD will be randomly assigned to receive either 15 or 30 minutes of mbNF. During the procedure, participants practice mindfulness while a ball on a screen moves based on their brain activity, targeting the frontoparietal network relative to the DMN. The study will test whether mbNF reduces functional connectivity within the DMN and whether longer dosing produces greater effects, with secondary outcomes including changes in depressive symptoms and rumination.

DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-05223-8 Full text Dmn Mdd Mindfulness Adolescence +2