title: Functional neural correlates of mindfulness meditations in comparison with psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and placebo effect. Is there a link?
abstract: Chiesa A, Brambilla P, Serretti A. Functional neural correlates of mindfulness meditations in comparison with psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and placebo effect. Is there a link?
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Mindfulness meditations (MM) are a group of meditation practices which are increasingly receiving attention. The aim of the present work is to review current findings about the neural correlates of MM and compare such findings with other specific and non-specific treatments.
  
  
  METHODS
  A literature search was undertaken using MEDLINE, ISI web of knowledge, the Cochrane database and references of retrieved articles. Studies which focused on the functional neural correlates of MM, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and placebo published up to August 2009 were screened in order to be considered for the inclusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Main findings suggest that long-term MM practice allows a more flexible emotional regulation by engaging frontal cortical structures to dampen automatic amygdala activation. A large overlap exists between cerebral areas activated during MM, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy and those activated by placebo. However, while MM, psychotherapy and placebo seem to act through a top-down regulation, antidepressants seem to act through a bottom-up process.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MM seem to target specific brain areas related to emotions and emotional regulation. Similar mechanisms have been observed also in other interventions, particularly psychotherapy.
authors.affiliation: 1Institute of Psychiatry, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiesa
authors.affiliation: 2DPMSC, Section of Psychiatry, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brambilla
authors.affiliation: 1Institute of Psychiatry, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serretti