Holzel et At ( Mindfulness and Brain scans)

Describe the aim of the study

the aim of the study is to identify changes in specific regions of the brain and the whole brain, by comparing grey matter before and after A mindfulness-based stress reduction course

describe the psychology being investigated

Mindfulness

-a state that is achieved through meditation and it is when you are in the present moment and allows a person to view themselves in a compassionate, non judgmental way

Localization of function

- how different parts of the brain perform specific functions

- for example ; hippocampus deals with emotional regulation

- measured with MRI

- which parts of the brain are linked with mindfulness (self awareness, attention etc)

what research methods were used

- it was an longitudinal experiment

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what is the design of the study

independent measuress

what was the IV and DV of the study

IV : Whether or not pp partcipated in the 8 week MBSR course

DV : changes in grey matter, measured by MRI scans

How long were the MBSR sessions and how often did they occur

2 and a half hours every week for 8 weeks

a full day session on the 6th week

Where did the sessions take place?

Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

What were the exercises taught to the pp and describe them

Sitting meditation - focus on the sensation of breathing, sounds , sights, taste, thoughts and emotion

Mindful Yoga -gentle stretching, slow movement and breathing exercises to bring awareness to the moment-to-moment experience

Body scan - attention is guided in a sequence through the whole body which ends with a lerception of the body as a "complete whole"

What other guidance were the pp given

Homework : 45 min recording of guided mindfulness was given to each pp so they could practive them at home

- taught how to engage in mindfulness in everyday for ex, eating, walking and showeing

-taught how to use mindfulness to cope w stress

what was the general sample of the study

-people enrolled on MBSR courses at UNI of massachussests

-physically and psychologically healthy + no medication

- limited exp in meditation classes ( none in last 6 months and max 4 in the last 5 years and max 10 in their lifetime )

- comitted to attend all session and complete homework ex

what was the age range of the pp

25-55

what was the initial experiemnetal sample of the study and why did it reduce

initial : 8 males 10 females

reduce to 16 after 2 males left due to discomfort from MRI

what was the final exp sample

final : 6 males 10 females

- mean age of 38

- 13 caucasian

- 1 asian

- 1 African American

- 1 multi ethnic

what was the control sample of the study

- 11 males, 6 females

- 39 years

- 13 caucasian

- 2 asian

- 2 AA

- 1 hispanic

Describe the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionaire

- has 39 questions that measure Observing, describing, acting w awareness, non judging and non reactivity

- 5 point likert scale (with statements "never or very rarely true" , "rarely true", sometimes true, often true, very true or always true")

describe what observing, describing, acting w awareness and non judging and non reactivity are

observing - noticing internal stimuli like thoughts and emotions and external stimuli like sights, smells and sounds

desc - labelling observed stimuli with words

acting with awareness - being aware when carrying out actions rather than doing them absent mindedly

non judging - not evaluating one's emotions

non reactivity - allowing thoughts to come and go

when did the pp take the questionaire

- completed before and after MBSR

how were the FFMQ scores calculated

- total score for 5 subscales are added and these totals were added for a total FFMQ score

give examples of standard and reverse scoring

standard :

"I'm going at finding words to desc my feelings"

very often or always true scores 5

very rarely or never true scores 1

reverse :

"I am easily distracted"

very often or always true scores 1

very rarely or never true scores 5

Describe the procedure when the pp got their brain scans taken

- for exp group, brain scans taken 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after MBSR

- MRI used

- there was a ROI analysis and whole brain analysis, which was used to explore other regions potentially affected by mbsr

what was the average gap of days for the exp snd control group between their brain scans

control group had average of 66 days between their two scans

exp - 56

what were the 2 regions of interest

bilateral hippocampi and bilateral insulae

describe how the MRI scans were carried out

- Three-dimensional digital models were created by taking pictures of 128 sagittal slices (i.e. from the top to the bottom) of the brain and combining them using computer software

- Next, the researchers analysed the models using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to measure the concentration of grey matter in the regions of interest (bilateral hippocampi and insulae) and the brain as a whole.

What else did the pp report on

- time soent on homework over 8 weeks

- time spent on each 3 of exercises

what were the results for the FFMQ scores

There were increases in scores for 3 submessures for the MBSR group ( non-judging, observarion and acting eith awareness) and this change was greater compared to the control

what was the grey con in the left hippocampus like for both exp and control group before the procedure

- there was no diff

what were the results for the left hippocampus and insulae

- for the MBSR group, there was an increase in grey matter conc in the left hippocampus (+0.01) but was not correlated w the amount of tiem they spent on their hw or FFMQ score

- for control, there was no change

what were the results for the whole brain

- for control, there were small reductions in gray matter conc

- for the MBSR there was an increased in grey mayter conc in 4 regions, left temporoparietal junction, brainstem, lateral cerebllum and poterior cingulate cortex, though this didnt correlate w FFMQ or time they soent on hw

howmlong did the mbsr group soend on mindfulness hw a day

average of 27 mins per day

what is the conclusion of the study

structural changes and increase in gray matter conc in the left hippocampus will happen within 8 week period of participating in a mindfulness course

structural changes and increase in gray matter conc in the posterior cingulate cortex, left temporoparietal junction, brain stem and lateral cerebellum will happen within 8 week period of participating in a mindfulness course

give the function of the hippocampus/left

emotioanl regulation

give the function of temporo-parietal junction

social cognition ; awareness and understanding others

give the function of lateral cerebellum

motor control + but also cognition and emotion regulation

give the function of brainstem

contains raphe nuclei which releases seratonin ; help w mood and anixety disorders

evaluate the ethics of the study

good :

-There was effort to prevent physical and osych harm as when pp that were chosen, it was made sure that they didnt hv any metal in their body or had claustrophobia so they wouldnt be hamred during MRI

- there was rifht to withdraw as 2 male pp dropped out due to discomofrt in MRI

bad :

- all pp were experiencing stress and the control couldnt receive help during the 8 weeks and so they failed to protect them from psych harm

who approved the study

uni of massachussests instituitional review board

give the function of posterior cingulate cortex

introspection and self awarness

what are the applications of this study

- used for stressed individuals

- have better emotional regulation + social cognition

- those w anxiety disorders and depression

what are the individual/situational debates of the study

Individual

different personality traits of the pp may have caused them to be less or more successful in the programme, diff ppl have different lifestyles

situational

some people may spend longer on homework ?

what are the nature/nurture debates of the study

Nurture

the experiences of the MBSR programme have changed the structure of the brain

give 2 strengths of the study

give 2 weaknesses of the study