3 research outputs found
There Is More to Mindfulness Than Emotion Regulation: A Study on Brain Structural Networks
This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy,
Industry, and Competitiveness (PSI2016-80558-R to ACa); and a
postdoctoral contract of the university of Granada (to SB).We would also like to thank the support of the Andalusian
Regional Government, and the European Regional Development
Fund (ERDF), to the Brain, Behavior, and Health, scientific
excellence unit (SC2), ref: SOMM17/6103/UGR.Dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation are two psychological constructs closely interrelated, and both appear to improve with the long-term practice of mindfulness meditation. These constructs appear to be related to subcortical, prefrontal, and posterior brain areas involved in emotional processing, cognitive control, self-awareness, and mind wandering. However, no studies have yet discerned the neural basis of dispositional mindfulness that are minimally associated with emotion regulation. In the present study, we use a novel brain structural network analysis approach to study the relationship between structural networks and dispositional mindfulness, measured with two different and widely used instruments [Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)], taking into account the effect of emotion regulation difficulties. We observed a number of different brain regions associated with the different scales and dimensions. The total score of FFMQ and MAAS overlap with the bilateral parahippocampal and fusiform gyri. Additionally, MAAS scores were related to the bilateral hippocampus and the FFMQ total score to the right insula and bilateral amygdala. These results indicate that, depending on the instrument used, the characteristics measured could differ and could also involve different brain systems. However, it seems that brain areas related to emotional reactivity and semantic processing are generally related to Dispositional or trait mindfulness (DM), regardless of the instrument used.Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness
PSI2016-80558-Runiversity of Granad
Brain changes following mindfulness: Reduced caudate volume is associated with decreased positive urgency
Mindfulness training has been shown to improve psychological health and general well-being. However, it is
unclear which brain and personality systems may be affected by this practice for improving adaptive behavior
and quality of life. The present study explores the effects of a 5-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) at the
neuroanatomical level and its relationship with dispositional mindfulness and impulsivity. Sixty-six risky drivers
were quasi-randomly assigned to a mindfulness training group (MT) or a control group (N). Participants underwent
magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the
UPPS-P impulsivity scale twice, at baseline and after receiving the MBI. We observed that MBI changes dispositional
mindfulness in the non-reactivity and observing facets. Further, we observed that the magnitude of
change in impulsivity was associated with the change in dispositional mindfulness. Whole-brain voxel-wise
analysis revealed that the volume of the right caudate nucleus of the MT group (n = 27) showed a reduction
compared to that of the control group (n = 33), which increased in terms of the pre-post measurement
(MT=-1.76 mm3; N = 6.31 mm3). We also observed that reduced caudate nucleus volume correlated with
decreased positive urgency in the MT group. Taken together, our results show that MBI improves the skills of
observing and non-reactivity to inner experience, while producing changes in the structure of the caudate nucleus.
These structural changes are associated with a reduction in impulsivity levels, decreasing the tendency to
act rashly in situations that generate positive emotions and thus facilitating more adaptive behavior.Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry,
and Competitiveness [PSI2016-80558-R]Predoctoral fellowship of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and
Sports [FPU18/03263