Author:
Pernet Cyril R.,Belov Nikolai,Delorme Arnaud,Zammit Alison
Abstract
AbstractKnowing target regions undergoing structural changes caused by behavioural interventions is paramount in evaluating the effectiveness of such practices. Here, using a systematic review approach, we identified 25 peer-reviewed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrating grey matter changes related to mindfulness meditation. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis (n=16) revealed the right anterior ventral insula as the only significant region with consistent effect across studies, whilst an additional functional connectivity analysis indicates that both left and right insulae, and the anterior cingulate gyrus with adjacent paracingulate gyri should also be considered in future studies. Statistical meta-analyses suggest medium to strong effect sizes from Cohen’s d ∼0.8 in the right insula to ∼1 using maxima across the whole brain. The systematic review revealed design issues with selection, information, attrition and confirmation biases, in addition to weak statistical power. In conclusion, our analyses show that mindfulness meditation practice does induce grey matter changes but also that improvements in methodology are needed to establish mindfulness as a therapeutic intervention.
Publisher
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Reference67 articles.
1. Information bias in health research: Definition, pitfalls, and adjustment methods;Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare,2016
2. Ball, E. F. , Nur Shafina Muhammad Sharizan, E. , Franklin, G. , & Rogozinska, E. (2017). Does mindfulness meditation improve chronic pain? A systematic review. Current Opinion in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 29(6).
3. Bell, M. L. , Kenward, M. G. , Fairclough, D. L. , & Horton, N. J. (2013). Differential dropout and bias in randomised controlled trials: When it matters and when it may not. BMJ, 346.
4. Research Review: Emanuel Miller Memorial Lecture 2012 - neuroscientific studies of intervention for language impairment in children: interpretive and methodological problems;J Child Psychol Psychiatry,2013
5. Boccia, M. , Piccardi, L. , & Guariglia, P. (2015). The Meditative Mind: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis of MRI Studies. BioMed Research International, 2015, 1–11.