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Abellaneda-Pérez K, Potash RM, Pascual-Leone A, Sacchet MD. Neuromodulation and meditation: A review and synthesis toward promoting well-being and understanding consciousness and brain. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 166:105862. [PMID: 39186992 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2024] [Revised: 08/16/2024] [Accepted: 08/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
The neuroscience of meditation is providing insight into meditation's beneficial effects on well-being and informing understanding of consciousness. However, further research is needed to explicate mechanisms linking brain activity and meditation. Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) presents a promising approach for causally investigating neural mechanisms of meditation. Prior NIBS-meditation research has predominantly targeted frontal and parietal cortices suggesting that it might be possible to boost the behavioral and neural effects of meditation with NIBS. Moreover, NIBS has revealed distinct neural signatures in long-term meditators. Nonetheless, methodological variations in NIBS-meditation research contributes to challenges for definitive interpretation of previous results. Future NIBS studies should further investigate core substrates of meditation, including specific brain networks and oscillations, and causal neural mechanisms of advanced meditation. Overall, NIBS-meditation research holds promise for enhancing meditation-based interventions in support of well-being and resilience in both non-clinical and clinical populations, and for uncovering the brain-mind mechanisms of meditation and consciousness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kilian Abellaneda-Pérez
- Departament de Medicina, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Institut de Neurociències, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institut Guttmann, Institut Universitari de Neurorehabilitació adscrit a la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ruby M Potash
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Alvaro Pascual-Leone
- Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research and Deanna and Sidney Wolk Center for Memory Health, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Matthew D Sacchet
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
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Ganesan S, Yang WFZ, Chowdhury A, Zalesky A, Sacchet MD. Within-subject reliability of brain networks during advanced meditation: An intensively sampled 7 Tesla MRI case study. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26666. [PMID: 38726831 PMCID: PMC11082832 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Advanced meditation such as jhana meditation can produce various altered states of consciousness (jhanas) and cultivate rewarding psychological qualities including joy, peace, compassion, and attentional stability. Mapping the neurobiological substrates of jhana meditation can inform the development and application of advanced meditation to enhance well-being. Only two prior studies have attempted to investigate the neural correlates of jhana meditation, and the rarity of adept practitioners has largely restricted the size and extent of these studies. Therefore, examining the consistency and reliability of observed brain responses associated with jhana meditation can be valuable. In this study, we aimed to characterize functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reliability within a single subject over repeated runs in canonical brain networks during jhana meditation performed by an adept practitioner over 5 days (27 fMRI runs) inside an ultra-high field 7 Tesla MRI scanner. We found that thalamus and several cortical networks, that is, the somatomotor, limbic, default-mode, control, and temporo-parietal, demonstrated good within-subject reliability across all jhanas. Additionally, we found that several other relevant brain networks (e.g., attention, salience) showed noticeable increases in reliability when fMRI measurements were adjusted for variability in self-reported phenomenology related to jhana meditation. Overall, we present a preliminary template of reliable brain areas likely underpinning core neurocognitive elements of jhana meditation, and highlight the utility of neurophenomenological experimental designs for better characterizing neuronal variability associated with advanced meditative states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saampras Ganesan
- Department of PsychiatryMelbourne Neuropsychiatry CentreCarltonVictoriaAustralia
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneCarltonVictoriaAustralia
- Contemplative Studies Centre, Melbourne School of Psychological SciencesThe University of MelbourneMelbourneVictoriaAustralia
| | - Winson F. Z. Yang
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Avijit Chowdhury
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Andrew Zalesky
- Department of PsychiatryMelbourne Neuropsychiatry CentreCarltonVictoriaAustralia
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringThe University of MelbourneCarltonVictoriaAustralia
| | - Matthew D. Sacchet
- Meditation Research Program, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General HospitalHarvard Medical SchoolBostonMassachusettsUSA
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Giommi F, Bauer PR, Berkovich-Ohana A, Barendregt H, Brown KW, Gallagher S, Nyklíček I, Ostafin B, Raffone A, Slagter HA, Trautwein FM, Vago DR. The (In)flexible self: Psychopathology, mindfulness, and neuroscience. Int J Clin Health Psychol 2023; 23:100381. [PMID: 36969914 PMCID: PMC10033904 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2023.100381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical and neuroscientific evidence indicates that transdiagnostic processes contribute to the generation and maintenance of psychopathological symptoms and disorders. Rigidity (inflexibility) appears a core feature of most transdiagnostic pathological processes. Decreasing rigidity may prove important to restore and maintain mental health. One of the primary domains in which rigidity and flexibility plays a role concerns the self. We adopt the pattern theory of self (PTS) for a working definition of self. This incorporates the pluralist view on self as constituted by multiple aspects or processes, understood to constitute a self-pattern, i.e. processes organized in non-linear dynamical relations across a number of time scales. The use of mindfulness meditation in the format of Mindfulness Based Interventions (MBIs) has been developed over four decades in Clinical Psychology. MBIs are promising as evidence-based treatments, shown to be equivalent to gold-standard treatments and superior to specific active controls in several randomized controlled trials. Notably, MBIs have been shown to target transdiagnostic symptoms. Given the hypothesized central role of rigid, habitual self-patterns in psychopathology, PTS offers a useful frame to understand how mindfulness may be beneficial in decreasing inflexibility. We discuss the evidence that mindfulness can alter the psychological and behavioral expression of individual aspects of the self-pattern, as well as favour change in the self-pattern as a whole gestalt. We discuss neuroscientific research on how the phenomenology of the self (pattern) is reflected in associated cortical networks and meditation-related alterations in cortical networks. Creating a synergy between these two aspects can increase understanding of psychopathological processes and improve diagnostic and therapeutic options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabio Giommi
- NOUS-School of Specialization (PsyD) in Psychotherapy, Milano, Italy
- Insight Dialogue Community [insightdialogue.org/teachers]
| | - Prisca R. Bauer
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Aviva Berkovich-Ohana
- Edmond Safra Brain Research Center, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Israel
- Faculty of Education, Department of Learning and Instructional Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel
- The Integrated Brain and Behavior Research Center (IBBRC), University of Haifa, Israel
- Faculty of Education, Department of Counseling and Human Development, University of Haifa, Israel
| | - Henk Barendregt
- Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | | | - Shaun Gallagher
- Department of Philosophy, University of Memphis, USA and SOLA, University of Wollongong, Australia
| | - Ivan Nyklíček
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, the Netherlands
| | - Brian Ostafin
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Antonino Raffone
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
- School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions, Nalanda University, India
| | | | - Fynn-Mathis Trautwein
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - David R. Vago
- Contemplative Sciences Center, University of Virginia
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Kloucek MB, Machon T, Kajimura S, Royall CP, Masuda N, Turci F. Biases in inverse Ising estimates of near-critical behavior. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:014109. [PMID: 37583208 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.014109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Inverse Ising inference allows pairwise interactions of complex binary systems to be reconstructed from empirical correlations. Typical estimators used for this inference, such as pseudo-likelihood maximization (PLM), are biased. Using the Sherrington-Kirkpatrick model as a benchmark, we show that these biases are large in critical regimes close to phase boundaries, and they may alter the qualitative interpretation of the inferred model. In particular, we show that the small-sample bias causes models inferred through PLM to appear closer to criticality than one would expect from the data. Data-driven methods to correct this bias are explored and applied to a functional magnetic resonance imaging data set from neuroscience. Our results indicate that additional care should be taken when attributing criticality to real-world data sets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian B Kloucek
- School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom
- Bristol Centre for Functional Nanomaterials, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Machon
- School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom
| | - Shogo Kajimura
- Faculty of Information and Human Sciences, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
| | - C Patrick Royall
- Gulliver UMR CNRS 7083, ESPCI Paris, Université PSL, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Naoki Masuda
- Department of Mathematics, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260-2900, USA
- Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering Program, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York 14260-5030, USA
| | - Francesco Turci
- School of Physics, HH Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, United Kingdom
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Cooper AC, Ventura B, Northoff G. Beyond the veil of duality-topographic reorganization model of meditation. Neurosci Conscious 2022; 2022:niac013. [PMID: 36237370 PMCID: PMC9552929 DOI: 10.1093/nc/niac013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Meditation can exert a profound impact on our mental life, with proficient practitioners often reporting an experience free of boundaries between a separate self and the environment, suggesting an explicit experience of "nondual awareness." What are the neural correlates of such experiences and how do they relate to the idea of nondual awareness itself? In order to unravel the effects that meditation has on the brain's spatial topography, we review functional magnetic resonance imaging brain findings from studies specific to an array of meditation types and meditator experience levels. We also review findings from studies that directly probe the interaction between meditation and the experience of the self. The main results are (i) decreased posterior default mode network (DMN) activity, (ii) increased central executive network (CEN) activity, (iii) decreased connectivity within posterior DMN as well as between posterior and anterior DMN, (iv) increased connectivity within the anterior DMN and CEN, and (v) significantly impacted connectivity between the DMN and CEN (likely a nonlinear phenomenon). Together, these suggest a profound organizational shift of the brain's spatial topography in advanced meditators-we therefore propose a topographic reorganization model of meditation (TRoM). One core component of the TRoM is that the topographic reorganization of DMN and CEN is related to a decrease in the mental-self-processing along with a synchronization with the more nondual layers of self-processing, notably interoceptive and exteroceptive-self-processing. This reorganization of the functionality of both brain and self-processing can result in the explicit experience of nondual awareness. In conclusion, this review provides insight into the profound neural effects of advanced meditation and proposes a result-driven unifying model (TRoM) aimed at identifying the inextricably tied objective (neural) and subjective (experiential) effects of meditation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin Clinton Cooper
- Integrated Program of Neuroscience, Room 302, Irving Ludmer Building, 1033 Pine Avenue W., McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1A1, Canada
| | - Bianca Ventura
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
| | - Georg Northoff
- Mind, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Research Unit, Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, 1145 Carling Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K4, Canada
- Mental Health Center, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 866 Yuhangtang Road, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Ganesan S, Beyer E, Moffat B, Van Dam NT, Lorenzetti V, Zalesky A. Focused attention meditation in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional functional MRI studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 141:104846. [PMID: 36067965 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
Meditation trains the mind to focus attention towards an object or experience. Among different meditation techniques, focused attention meditation is considered foundational for more advanced practices. Despite renewed interest in its functional neural correlates, there is no unified neurocognitive model of focused attention meditation developed via quantitative synthesis of contemporary literature. Hence, we performed a quantitative systematic review and meta-analysis of all functional MRI studies examining focussed attention meditation. Following PRISMA guidelines, 28 studies were included in this review, of which 10 studies (200 participants) were amenable to activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis. We found that regions comprising three key functional brain networks i.e., Default-mode, Salience, and Executive Control, were consistently implicated in focused attention meditation. Furthermore, meditation expertise, mindfulness levels and attentional skills were found to significantly influence the magnitude, but not regional extent, of activation and functional connectivity in these networks. Aggregating all evidence, we present a unified neurocognitive brain-network model of focused attention meditation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saampras Ganesan
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia.
| | - Emillie Beyer
- Neuroscience of Addiction and Mental Health Program, Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre, School of Behavioral and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia.
| | - Bradford Moffat
- Melbourne Brain Centre Imaging Unit, Department of Radiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.
| | - Nicholas T Van Dam
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia.
| | - Valentina Lorenzetti
- Neuroscience of Addiction and Mental Health Program, Healthy Brain and Mind Research Centre, School of Behavioral and Health Sciences, Faculty of Health, Australian Catholic University, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065, Australia.
| | - Andrew Zalesky
- Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia.
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Li SS, Xing XX, Hua XY, Zhang YW, Wu JJ, Shan CL, Zheng MX, Wang H, Xu JG. Alteration of brain functional networks induced by electroacupuncture stimulation in rats with ischemia–reperfusion: An independent component analysis. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:958804. [PMID: 35992929 PMCID: PMC9382119 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.958804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor dysfunction is the major sequela of ischemic stroke. Motor recovery after stroke has been shown to be associated with remodeling of large-scale brain networks, both functionally and structurally. Electroacupuncture (EA) is a traditional Chinese medicine application that has frequently been recommended as an alternative therapy for ischemic stroke and is reportedly effective for alleviating motor symptoms in patients. In the present study, the effect of EA on the alterations of functional resting state networks (RSNs) was explored after middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) injury using resting-state functional MRI. Rats were randomly assigned to three groups, including the sham group, MCAO/R group and MCAO/R+EA group. The ladder rung walking test was conducted prior to and after modeling to assess behavioral changes. RSNs were identified based on the independent component analysis (ICA) performed on the fMRI data from groups. EA treatment effectively reduced the occurrence of contralateral forelimb foot faults. Furthermore, our results suggested the disrupted function of the whole-brain network following ischemic stroke and the modulatory effect of acupuncture. The sensorimotor network (SMN), interoceptive network (IN), default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) were related to the therapeutic effect of EA on stroke recovery. Collectively, our findings confirmed the effect of EA on motor function recovery after cerebral ischemia reperfusion and shed light on the assessment of EA intervention-induced effects on brain networks. This study provides neuroimaging evidence to explain the therapeutic effects of EA in ischemic stroke and will lay the groundwork for further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si-Si Li
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiang-Xin Xing
- Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xu-Yun Hua
- Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu-Wen Zhang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jia-Jia Wu
- Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chun-Lei Shan
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Center of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Engineering Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine Intelligent Rehabilitation, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
| | - Mou-Xiong Zheng
- Department of Traumatology and Orthopedics, Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Mou-Xiong Zheng,
| | - He Wang
- Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- He Wang,
| | - Jian-Guang Xu
- School of Rehabilitation Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Engineering Research Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine Intelligent Rehabilitation, Ministry of Education, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Jian-Guang Xu,
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Focused-Attention Meditation Improves Flow, Communication Skills, and Safety Attitudes of Surgeons. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:ijerph19095292. [PMID: 35564687 PMCID: PMC9099589 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19095292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 04/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Patient safety is a worldwide problem and a focus of academic research. Human factors and ergonomics (HFE) is an approach to improving healthcare work systems and processes. From the perspective of the cognitive ergonomics of HFE, the aim of this study is to improve the flow level, communication skills, and safety attitudes of surgeons through focused-attention meditation (FAM) training, thus helping to reduce adverse clinical events. METHODS In total, 140 surgeons were recruited from three hospitals in China and randomly divided into two groups (FAM group and control group). The FAM group received 8 weeks of FAM training, while the control group was on the waiting list and did not receive any interventions. Three scales (WOLF, LCSAS, and SAQ-C) were used to measure the data of three variables (flow, communication skills, and safety attitude), respectively, at two times, before and after the intervention (pre-test and post-test). The incidence of adverse events during the intervention was also collected for both groups. RESULTS The ANOVA results showed that all three variables had a significant main effect of time and significant interactions between time and group. The independent-sample T-test results showed that the incidence of adverse events during the intervention was significantly lower in the FAM group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS The intervention of FAM could significantly improve surgeons' flow levels, communication skills, and safety attitudes, potentially helping to reduce adverse clinical events.
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Sezer I, Pizzagalli DA, Sacchet MD. Resting-state fMRI functional connectivity and mindfulness in clinical and non-clinical contexts: A review and synthesis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104583. [PMID: 35202647 PMCID: PMC9083081 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
This review synthesizes relations between mindfulness and resting-state fMRI functional connectivity of brain networks. Mindfulness is characterized by present-moment awareness and experiential acceptance, and relies on attention control, self-awareness, and emotion regulation. We integrate studies of functional connectivity and (1) trait mindfulness and (2) mindfulness meditation interventions. Mindfulness is related to functional connectivity in the default mode (DMN), frontoparietal (FPN), and salience (SN) networks. Specifically, mindfulness-mediated functional connectivity changes include (1) increased connectivity between posterior cingulate cortex (DMN) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (FPN), which may relate to attention control; (2) decreased connectivity between cuneus and SN, which may relate to self-awareness; (3) increased connectivity between rostral anterior cingulate cortex region and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMN) and decreased connectivity between rostral anterior cingulate cortex region and amygdala region, both of which may relate to emotion regulation; and lastly, (4) increased connectivity between dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (SN) and anterior insula (SN) which may relate to pain relief. While further study of mindfulness is needed, neural signatures of mindfulness are emerging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Idil Sezer
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA; Paris Brain Institute, Sorbonne University/CNRS/INSERM, Paris, France.
| | - Diego A Pizzagalli
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA; McLean Imaging Center, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
| | - Matthew D Sacchet
- Center for Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Research, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA.
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