Mindfulness-based intervention reduce interference of negative stimuli to working memory in individuals with subclinical depression: A randomized controlled fMRI study.
Chengjin Hong, Cody Ding, Yiwen Chen, Shiyue Cao, Yi Hou, Weiyu Hu, Dong Yang
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP January 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2024.100459 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA 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.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | Individuals with subclinical depression |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) combining loving-kindness meditation (LKM) |
| Keywords | Executive function Loving kindness meditation Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy Negative stimuli Subthreshold depression |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key finding | MBCT combined with loving-kindness meditation alters brain activation and connectivity patterns in ways that suggest improved executive function when facing negative stimuli. |
Abstract
Individuals with subclinical depression are prone to major depression and experience emotional responses and attentional biases to negative stimuli. In a randomized controlled study (N = 42) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined the neurocognitive mechanisms behind mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) combining loving-kindness meditation (LKM) on a group with subclinical depression compared with the relaxation group across emotional face n-back (EFNBACK) tasks and resting state. We also collected behavioral and self-reported data to confirm neurocognitive results. During EFNBACK, the MBCT+LKM group showed greater activation in the left lingual gyrus and right inferior lateral occipital cortex. During rest, the MBCT+LKM group demonstrated increased connectivity of the anterior cingulate cortex and right inferior lateral occipital cortex, right anterior insula and left precentral gyrus. From amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) data, activity in brain regions associated with cognitive control decreased and activity in brain regions associated with sensorimotor increased. These results suggest that MBCT+LKM alleviate depression for subclinical individuals through improving executive function when they face negative stimuli.