Meditation and Aerobic Exercise Enhance Mental Health Outcomes and Pattern Separation Learning Without Changing Heart Rate Variability in Women with HIV

Abstract

Mental and physical (MAP) training targets the brain and the body through a combination of focused-attention meditation and aerobic exercise. The following feasibility pilot study tested whether 6 weeks of MAP training improves mental health outcomes, while enhancing discrimination learning and heart rate variability (HRV) in a group of women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other stress-related conditions. Participants were assigned to training ( n = 18) or no-training control ( n = 8) groups depending on their ability and willingness to participate, and if their schedule allowed. Training sessions were held once a week for 6 weeks with 30 min of meditation followed by 30 min of aerobic exercise. Before and after 6 weeks of training, participants completed the Behavioral Pattern Separation Task as a measure of discrimination learning, self-report questionnaires of ruminative and trauma-related thoughts, depression, anxiety, and perceived stress, and an assessment of HRV at rest. After training, participants reported fewer ruminative and trauma-related thoughts, fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms, and less perceived stress ( p ’s < 0.05). The positive impact on ruminative thoughts and depressive symptoms persisted 6 months after training. They also demonstrated enhanced discrimination of similar patterns of information ( p < 0.05). HRV did not change after training ( p > 0.05). Combining mental and physical training is an effective program for enhancing mental health and aspects of cognition in women living with HIV, although not necessarily through variance in heart rate.

Mental and physical training with meditation and aerobic exercise improved mental health and well-being in teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…For example, women with a history of sexual trauma, reported fewer trauma-related thoughts and ruminations after two sessions per week over 6 weeks (Shors et al, 2018). In another study, women living with HIV reported similar outcomes after only one in-person session a week for 6 weeks (Millon et al, 2022). However, these finding do stand in contrast to those following many exercise-related interventions, which often depend on multiple sessions per week to produce sizeable improvements in mental health outcomes (Stathopoulou et al, 2006;Asmundson et al, 2013;Stanton and Reaburn, 2014).…”

“…MAP stands for “mental and physical” and MAP Training combines mental training with meditation and physical training with aerobic exercise to improve mental and physical health ( Shors et al, 2014 ; Shors, 2021 ). The program has demonstrated efficacy in a number of studies with distressed populations, including men and women diagnosed with major depressive disorder ( Alderman et al, 2016 ; Shors et al, 2017 ), young adult women who have experienced sexual trauma ( Shors et al, 2018 ), mothers who were homeless ( Shors et al, 2014 ), medical school students ( Lavadera et al, 2020 ), and women living with HIV ( Millon et al, 2022 ). The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effects of an online version of MAP Training on teacher stress and related mental health outcomes experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

“…The questionnaire comprises 20 items derived from four aspects of mental health often measured by existing self-report instruments that assess posttraumatic thoughts (Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory [PTCI]; Foa et al, 1999 ) (five items), rumination (RRS; Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991 ) (five items), anxiety symptoms (Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]; Beck et al, 1988 ) (five items), and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]; Beck, 1961 ; Beck et al, 1996 ) (five items). Prior studies of MAP Training in distressed populations indicate that these symptoms are closely linked at baseline and improve with training (i.e., Shors et al, 2018 ; Shors, 2021 ; Millon et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Both brooding and reflection have been associated with current depressive symptom severity, whereas reflection has been linked with lower risk for future depression (Treynor et al, 2003;Burwell and Shirk, 2007). However, regardless of subscale, most previous studies with MAP Training report decreases, including participants from clinical and nonclinical populations (Alderman et al, 2016;Shors et al, 2017;Shors et al, 2018;Lavadera et al, 2020;Shors, 2021;Millon et al, 2022).…”

“…In clinical and subclinical 10.3389/fnhum.2022.847301 populations, MAP Training has yielded positive effects on mental health with decreases in depression, rumination, and post-traumatic thoughts, along with an increase in quality of life (Shors et al, 2014(Shors et al, , 2017(Shors et al, , 2018Alderman et al, 2016;Lavadera et al, 2020). In addition, studies suggest an increase in the volume of oxygen consumption as measured with VO 2 (Shors et al, 2014), synchronous brain activity as measured with electroencephalography (EEG) during cognitive control (Alderman et al, 2016), and discrimination learning during a pattern separation task associated with neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus (Millon et al, 2022). Additionally, engaging in the combination of mental and physical training activities has been shown to be especially effective when compared to engaging in one activity on its own (Shors et al, 2018).…”