title: State and Training Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Brain Networks Reflect Neuronal Mechanisms of Its Antidepressant Effect.
abstract: The topic of investigating how mindfulness meditation training can have antidepressant effects via plastic changes in both resting state and meditation state brain activity is important in the rapidly emerging field of neuroplasticity. In the present study, we used a longitudinal design investigating resting state fMRI both before and after 40 days of meditation training in 13 novices. After training, we compared differences in network connectivity between rest and meditation using common resting state functional connectivity methods. Interregional methods were paired with local measures such as Regional Homogeneity. As expected, significant differences in functional connectivity both between states (rest versus meditation) and between time points (before versus after training) were observed. During meditation, the internal consistency in the precuneus and the temporoparietal junction increased, while the internal consistency of frontal brain regions decreased. A follow-up analysis of regional connectivity of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex further revealed reduced connectivity with anterior insula during meditation. After meditation training, reduced resting state functional connectivity between the pregenual anterior cingulate and dorsal medical prefrontal cortex was observed. Most importantly, significantly reduced depression/anxiety scores were observed after training. Hence, these findings suggest that mindfulness meditation might be of therapeutic use by inducing plasticity related network changes altering the neuronal basis of affective disorders such as depression.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Básica, Clínica y Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain; Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Chuan-Chih
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Básica, Clínica y Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barrós-Loscertales
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva, Educativa, Social y Metodología, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pinazo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Básica, Clínica y Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain; Departamento de Didáctica de la Matemática, Facultad de Magisterio de la Universidad de Valencia, 46022 Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Noelia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ventura-Campos
authors.affiliation: Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Viola
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Borchardt
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicologia y Sociologia, Universidad de Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan-Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bustamante
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Básica, Clínica y Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Aina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Pujadas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Básica, Clínica y Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fuentes-Claramonte
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva, Educativa, Social y Metodología, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balaguer
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Psicología Básica, Clínica y Psicobiología, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellón, Spain.
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ávila
authors.affiliation: Clinical Affective Neuroimaging Laboratory, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Behavioral Neurology, Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, 39118 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Otto-von-Guericke University, 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences (CBBS), 39120 Magdeburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Eberhard Karls University, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D064866:Mindfulness; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D055815:Young Adult