Cerebral Blood Flow and Brain Functional Connectivity Changes in Older Adults Participating in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program.

Aleeze Sattar Moss,Mahdi Alizadeh,Nancy Wintering,Diane K Reibel,Andrew B Newberg,Feroze B Mohamed,Faezeh Vedaei,Justin Heholt,Mohsen Khosravi,Hannah Porter

doi:10.3390/bs12020048

Abstract

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.

Highlights

The growing population of older adults faces increasing stressors as they age [1]
A total of 20 subjects who volunteered to participate in the fMRI study met individually with a researcher to be screened in order to determine if they met the inclusion criteria: age > 65 years and Mini-Mental Status Exam score > 25; no prior experience with the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program; no metal in their body; no medical condition that could interfere with cerebral blood flow; not on any medication that could affect brain physiology or cerebral blood flow
A recent systematic review of 21 studies indicates that the emotional and behavioral changes observed in people after participating in Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) are related to both functional and structural changes in the brain [26]

Summary

Introduction

The growing population of older adults faces increasing stressors as they age [1]. Challenged by chronic illness, loss of loved ones, social isolation, and declining physical function, varying degrees of anxiety and depression are common among the elderly and are associated with increased disability and decreased well-being [3]. Research on MBSR with older adults has demonstrated a number of beneficial effects, including reductions in anxiety, depression, and loneliness [4,5]. Improvements in cognitive function have been shown [6,7,8,9] In most of these studies with MBSR in the elderly, the mean age has been 65 to 75 years

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