Mindfulness meditation increases default mode, salience, and central executive network connectivity

Abstract

Recent research has begun to identify the neural mechanisms underlying the beneficial impact of mindfulness meditation training (MMT) on health and cognition. However, little is known about the effects of MMT on the global interplay of large-scale networks (LSNs) in the brain. In the present study, healthy, meditation-naïve adults (N = 46) underwent resting state fMRI prior to and upon completing 31 days of MMT or an active control intervention. Independent component analysis, sliding time window, and seed-based correlation analyses were performed to assess training-related changes in functional connectivity (FC) within and between networks with relevance to mindfulness meditation. Across sliding time window analyses and seed-based correlation analyses, we found increased FC between nodes of the default mode network (DMN) and nodes of the salience network (SN) in participants of the MMT. Seed-based correlation analyses revealed further connectivity increases between the SN and key regions of the central executive network (CEN). These results indicate, that, among multiple LSNs, one month of mindfulness meditation effectively increases interconnectivity between networks of the triple network model (DMN, SN, CEN), hereby introducing a potential mechanistic concept underlying the beneficial impact of MMT.Clinical trial registration: This study is listed as a clinical trial on the ISRCTN registry with trial ID ISRCTN95197731 (date of first registration: 15/02/2022).

Infraslow dynamic patterns in human cortical networks track a spectrum of external to internal attention

“…While FC studies of meditation offer mixed results (79-81), experienced practitioners of mindfulness meditation, an activity marked by repeatedly practicing executive control of one’s attention, have also shown increased FC between the DMN-FPN, an effect reported using seed-based and sliding window measures of FC (80, 82). In meditators included in the current study (83), we found DMN-FPN correlation trended more positive both at rest and during meditation, an effect seen in group and individual QPPs (Figure 3A-B).…”

Connectomic Networks and Their Impact on Clinical Outcomes in Glioma Treatment: A Review

“…42 Mindfulness training strengthens this functional connectivity, which may explain some of its beneficial effects on executive control and focus. 43 44 Similarly, adaptive changes in CEN connectivity may also predict response to treatment for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. 45 46…”

“…42 Mindfulness training strengthens this functional connectivity, which may explain some of its beneficial effects on executive control and focus. 43,44 Similarly, adaptive changes in CEN connectivity may also predict response to treatment for depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. 45,46 Patients with high-grade tumors may be more susceptible to functional impairments because of the relative absence of neuroplasticity; however, predicting patient outcomes after high-grade glioma surgery is challenged by the pathway variability among tumors.…”

Electroencephalography microstates highlight specific mindfulness traits

“…While converging evidence has demonstrated that mindfulness meditation induces structural changes in the right insula (Fox et al, 2014; Pernet et al, 2021), functional connectivity studies showed changes in widely distributed brain networks during meditation and at rest in meditators (Farb et al, 2007; Grant et al, 2011; Hasenkamp & Barsalou, 2012; Hölzel et al, 2013; Kilpatrick et al, 2011). Resting‐state studies suggested in particular that mindfulness practices induce connectivity changes between SN, DMN and CEN in experienced meditators (Brewer et al, 2011; Sezer et al, 2022), as well as in novice meditators after training (Bremer et al, 2022; Creswell et al, 2016; Farb et al, 2007, 2013; Kral et al, 2019; Taren et al, 2017; Zhang et al, 2021). At the sensor level, electroencephalography (EEG) research has shown that mindfulness is mainly associated with enhanced alpha and theta power (Lee et al, 2018; Lomas et al, 2015; Tang et al, 2019).…”