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Mindfulness training induces structural connectome changes in insula networks.

ABSTRACT: Although mindfulness meditation is known to provide a wealth of psychological benefits, the neural mechanisms involved in these effects remain to be well characterized. A central question is whether the observed benefits of mindfulness training derive from specific changes in the structural brain connectome that do not result from alternative forms of experimental intervention. Measures of whole-brain and node-level structural connectome changes induced by mindfulness training were compared with those induced by cognitive and physical fitness training within a large, multi-group intervention protocol (n?=?86). Whole-brain analyses examined global graph-theoretical changes in structural network topology. A hypothesis-driven approach was taken to investigate connectivity changes within the insula, which was predicted here to mediate interoceptive awareness skills that have been shown to improve through mindfulness training. No global changes were observed in whole-brain network topology. However, node-level results confirmed a priori hypotheses, demonstrating significant increases in mean connection strength in right insula across all of its connections. Present findings suggest that mindfulness strengthens interoception, operationalized here as the mean insula connection strength within the overall connectome. This finding further elucidates the neural mechanisms of mindfulness meditation and motivates new perspectives about the unique benefits of mindfulness training compared to contemporary cognitive and physical fitness interventions.

SUBMITTER: Sharp PB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5962606 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Mindfulness training induces structural connectome changes in insula networks.

Sharp Paul B PB Sutton Bradley P BP Paul Erick J EJ Sherepa Nikolai N Hillman Charles H CH Cohen Neal J NJ Kramer Arthur F AF Prakash Ruchika Shaurya RS Heller Wendy W Telzer Eva H EH Barbey Aron K AK

Scientific reports 20180521 1

Although mindfulness meditation is known to provide a wealth of psychological benefits, the neural mechanisms involved in these effects remain to be well characterized. A central question is whether the observed benefits of mindfulness training derive from specific changes in the structural brain connectome that do not result from alternative forms of experimental intervention. Measures of whole-brain and node-level structural connectome changes induced by mindfulness training were compared with ...[more]

PMID: 29785055

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Project description:IntroductionTrait mindfulness refers to one's disposition or tendency to pay attention to their experiences in the present moment, in a non-judgmental and accepting way. Trait mindfulness has been robustly associated with positive mental health outcomes, but its neural underpinnings are poorly understood. Prior resting-state fMRI studies have associated trait mindfulness with within- and between-network connectivity of the default-mode (DMN), fronto-parietal (FPN), and salience networks. However, it is unclear how generalizable the findings are, how they relate to different components of trait mindfulness, and how other networks and brain areas may be involved.MethodsTo address these gaps, we conducted the largest resting-state fMRI study of trait mindfulness to-date, consisting of a pre-registered connectome predictive modeling analysis in 367 adults across three samples collected at different sites.ResultsIn the model-training dataset, we did not find connections that predicted overall trait mindfulness, but we identified neural models of two mindfulness subscales, Acting with Awareness and Non-judging. Models included both positive networks (sets of pairwise connections that positively predicted mindfulness with increasing connectivity) and negative networks, which showed the inverse relationship. The Acting with Awareness and Non-judging positive network models showed distinct network representations involving FPN and DMN, respectively. The negative network models, which overlapped significantly across subscales, involved connections across the whole brain with prominent involvement of somatomotor, visual and DMN networks. Only the negative networks generalized to predict subscale scores out-of-sample, and not across both test datasets. Predictions from both models were also negatively correlated with predictions from a well-established mind-wandering connectome model.ConclusionsWe present preliminary neural evidence for a generalizable connectivity models of trait mindfulness based on specific affective and cognitive facets. However, the incomplete generalization of the models across all sites and scanners, limited stability of the models, as well as the substantial overlap between the models, underscores the difficulty of finding robust brain markers of mindfulness facets.

Project description:Interoceptive awareness (IA), the subjective and conscious perception of visceral and physiological signals from the body, has been associated with functions of cortical and subcortical neural systems involved in emotion control, mood and anxiety disorders. We recently hypothesized that IA and its contributions to mental health are realized by a brain interoception network (BIN) linking brain regions that receive ascending interoceptive information from the brainstem, such as the amygdala, insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). However, little evidence exists to support this hypothesis. In order to test this hypothesis, we used a publicly available dataset that contained both anatomical neuroimaging data and an objective measure of IA assessed with a heartbeat detection task. Whole-brain Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM) was used to investigate the association of IA with gray matter volume (GMV) and the structural covariance network (SCN) of the amygdala, insula and ACC. The relationship between IA and mental health was investigated with questionnaires that assessed depressive symptoms and anxiety. We found a positive correlation between IA and state anxiety, but not with depressive symptoms. In the VBM analysis, only the GMV of the left anterior insula showed a positive association with IA. A similar association was observed between the parcellated GMV of the left dorsal agranular insula, located in the anterior insula, and IA. The SCN linking the right dorsal agranular insula with the left dorsal agranular insula and left hyper-granular insula were positively correlated with IA. No association between GMV or SCN and depressive symptoms or anxiety were observed. These findings revealed a previously unknown association between IA, insula volume and intra-insula SCNs. These results may support development of non-invasive neuroimaging interventions, e.g., neurofeedback, seeking to improve IA and to prevent development of mental health problems, such anxiety disorders.

Dataset Information

Mindfulness training induces structural connectome changes in insula networks.

Publications

Mindfulness training induces structural connectome changes in insula networks.

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