title: Neural Networks for Mindfulness and Emotion Suppression.
abstract: Mindfulness, an attentive non-judgmental focus on "here and now" experiences, has been incorporated into various cognitive behavioral therapy approaches and beneficial effects have been demonstrated. Recently, mindfulness has also been identified as a potentially effective emotion regulation strategy. On the other hand, emotion suppression, which refers to trying to avoid or escape from experiencing and being aware of one's own emotions, has been identified as a potentially maladaptive strategy. Previous studies suggest that both strategies can decrease affective responses to emotional stimuli. They would, however, be expected to provide regulation through different top-down modulation systems. The present study was aimed at elucidating the different neural systems underlying emotion regulation via mindfulness and emotion suppression approaches. Twenty-one healthy participants used the two types of strategy in response to emotional visual stimuli while functional magnetic resonance imaging was conducted. Both strategies attenuated amygdala responses to emotional triggers, but the pathways to regulation differed across the two. A mindful approach appears to regulate amygdala functioning via functional connectivity from the medial prefrontal cortex, while suppression uses connectivity with other regions, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Thus, the two types of emotion regulation recruit different top-down modulation processes localized at prefrontal areas. These different pathways are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Integrated Neuroscience Research Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ruri
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Katsunuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oba
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Terasawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Motomura
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mishima
authors.affiliation: Integrative Brain Imaging Center, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan; Graduate School of Health Sciences, Gunma University, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiya
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Moriguchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D064866:Mindfulness; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011859:Radiography
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen