Cerebral Blood Flow and Brain Functional Connectivity Changes in Older Adults Participating in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program.
Aleeze Sattar MossDiane K ReibelNancy WinteringFaezeh VedaeiHannah PorterMohsen KhosraviJustin HeholtMahdi AlizadehFeroze B MohamedAndrew B NewbergPublished in: Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) (2022)
There is a growing interest in the potential beneficial effects of mindfulness meditation training in protecting against age-related physical, emotional, and cognitive decline. The current prospective, single-center, single-arm study investigated if functional magnetic resonance imaging-based changes in cerebral blood flow and brain functional connectivity could be observed in 11 elderly adults (mean age 79) after participation in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. The results showed significantly ( p < 0.05) altered cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity in the cingulate gyrus, limbic structures, and subregions of the temporal and frontal lobes, similar to findings of other meditation-related studies in younger populations. Furthermore, these changes were also associated with significant improvements in depression symptoms. This study suggests that the MBSR program can potentially modify cerebral blood flow and connectivity in this population.
Keyphrases
- functional connectivity
- cerebral blood flow
- resting state
- cognitive decline
- magnetic resonance imaging
- physical activity
- quality improvement
- chronic pain
- mild cognitive impairment
- computed tomography
- sleep quality
- mental health
- stress induced
- middle aged
- risk assessment
- working memory
- atomic force microscopy
- single molecule
- blood brain barrier
- genetic diversity