Hozel et at. (Mindfulness and brain scans)

Mindfulness

The practice of purposely bringing one's attention to the present-moment experience without evaluation.

Aim #1 (long term)

To investigate the potential long term effect of a

mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) programme on brain grey matter density.

Aim #2 (brain structures)

To identify brain structures which changed as a result of an eight-week MBSR programme

MBSR

Mindfulness-based stress reduction; consisted of eight weekly group meetings, lasting two and a half hours each, plus one full day (6.5 hours) during the sixth week of the course.

Sample (Experimental Group)

• 6 males, 10 females

• Mean Age 38.0

• Attended the MBSR Sessions

• 2 participants withdrew due to feeling discomfort in the First MRI Scan.

• 2 participants did not return for the second MRI scan.

Sample (Control Group)

• 11 males, 6 females

• Mean Age: 39.0

• Were on the waitlist to receive MBSR sessions.

Where were MBSR participants recruited from?

From four MBSR courses at the Center for Mindfulness, University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Who participated in the MBSR courses?

Physician- and self-referred individuals from across New England seeking stress reduction.

Sample Criteria

• Self-reported as physically and psychologically healthy.

• Not taking any medications.

• No meditation classes in the past six months.

• No more than four meditation classes in the past five years.

• No more than ten meditation classes in their lifetime.

Experimental Type

Laboratory experiment

Experimental Design

Independent measures.

Research Methods

• Self-reports

• Close-ended questionaires.

Type of data collected

Quantitative ONLY

Collected through two MRI scans and responses on the

questionnaire.

Independent Variables

• Whether the participants received MBSR or not

• Whether the data was collected at the beginning or the end of the eight-week study period.

Dependent Variables

• Grey matter concentration in specific brain structures and throughout the brain.

• The five facets of mindfulness questionnaire self reports

• Time spent on mindfulness exercises between weekly sessions.

Apparatus

• A 1.5T Siemens Magnetom Avanto scanner with a standard head coil.

• The Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), which includes 39 statements that participants rate from a Likert scale of 1 to 5 (never to always true)

• An audio recording containing 45-minute guided mindfulness exercises to practice daily at home

Controls

• All subjects completed the FFMQ before and after the MBSR sessions.

• All subjects underwent two MRI scannings.

Body Scan (mindfulness training exercise)

Attention is sequentially guided through the entire body,

observing with non-judgmental awareness the sensations in each

region and ending with an awareness of the body “as a complete

whole.”

Mindful Yoga (mindfulness training exercise)

This typically contains gentle stretching exercises and slow movements that are often coordinated with the breath, and with emphasis placed on bringing full awareness to the moment-to-moment experience and a non-harming attitude towards the body. Participants are encouraged to investigate what feels appropriate for themselves and to honor their body’s limitations.

Sitting meditation (mindfulness training exercise)

This begins with awareness of the sensations of breathing, then evolve to include awareness of different modalities (such as sounds, sight, taste, other body sensations; thoughts and emotions). Later, emphasis is given to open awareness meditation, where the field of awareness is expanded to include anything that appears in consciousness, or a simple awareness of one’s presence in the here and now.

MRI (data collection)

• Scans were conducted two weeks before the first MBSR session and at the end of the eight-week training programme

• A 3D digital brain model was created for each participant, using 128 sagittal (top to bottom) images.

Self-reports (Data collection)

• The Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) was used to measure 5 key aspects of mindfulness that have been found to be positively correlated with wellbeing.
  

• Participants rate 39 statements from 1 ('never or very rarely true') to 5 ('very often or always true').

Procedure (Stage 1)

Participants received MRI scans and completed the FFMQ two weeks before the first MBSR meeting.

Procedure (Stage 2)

Eight weeks of MBSR for the experimental group only, who were also given a 45-minute audio recording of mindfulness exercises to practise at home.

They were taught to integrate mindfulness into daily activities like eating, walking, and washing dishes.

FFMQ

The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire; 39-item scale to measure five factors of mindfulness:

Observing

Describing

Acting with awareness

Non-judging of inner experience

Non-reactivity to inner experience

Observing (FFMQ)

Attending to or noticing internal and external

stimuli, such as sensations, emotions, cognitions, sights,

sounds, and smells.

Describing (FFMQ)

Noting or mentally labeling these stimuli with

words.

Acting with awareness (FFMQ)

Refraining from evaluation of one’s sensations, cognitions, and emotions.

Non-reactivity to inner experience (FFMQ)

Allowing thoughts and feeling to come and go, without attention getting caught up in them.

Procedure (Stage 3)

Participants recieved MRI scans and completed the FFMQ two weeks after the final MBSR meeting.

Results (Improvements in mindfulness)

• Results from the FFMQ confirmed significant group-by-time interactions for three of the five mindfulness subscales
  
  Acting with awareness, observing, and non-judging all

confirmed significant increases in the MBSR group scores.

Results (Gray matter changes)

MBSR group identified a small cluster in the left hippocampus

with increased gray matter concentration.

Confirms that structural changes in this region are

detectable within eight weeks following the participation in

this mindfulness training program.

Results (Whole brain analysis)

Analysis of the entire brain revealed four clusters

with significantly greater gray matter concentration at the

Post compared to the Pre time-point in the MBSR group.

The four areas were:

Posterior cingulate cortex

Left temporo-parietal junction

Lateral cerebellum

Cerebellum vermis/brainstem

Conclusion (grey matter concentration)

Regular mindfulness practice can lead to localised structural changes in grey matter concentration, in structures including the left hippocampus and posterior cingulate cortex.

What might changes in brain structures from mindfulness practice explain? (conclusion)

Changes in these brain structures may explain the well-being benefits of mindfulness because they are associated with functions like learning, memory, emotion regulation, and perspective-taking.

Conclusion (insulae)

Previous research on the insulae was unconfirmed. Changes in this structure may take more than eight weeks.