Abstract
Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) present positive effects on mental health in diverse populations. However, the detailed associations between MBIs and biomarkers in patients with psychiatric disorders remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of MBIs on biomarkers in psychiatric illness used to summarise the effects of low-grade inflammation. A systematic review of PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library was conducted. Effect sizes (ESs) were determined by Hedges’ g and the number needed to treat (NNT). Heterogeneity was evaluated. A total of 10 trials with 998 participants were included. MBIs showed significant improvements in the event-related potential amplitudes in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, the methylation of serotonin transporter genes in post-traumatic stress disorder, the salivary levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in depression, and the blood levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), IL-6, and TNF-α in generalised anxiety disorder. MBIs showed low but significant effects on health status related to biomarkers of low-grade inflammation (g = −0.21; 95% confidence interval (CI) –0.41 to −0.01; NNT = 8.47), with no heterogeneity (I2 = 0; 95% CI 0 to 79). More trials are needed to establish the impact of MBIs on biomarkers in psychiatric illness.
Highlights
Mindfulness is a theoretical construct that comes from Eastern spiritual traditions, especially Buddhism, and that has been recently adapted to Western culture and science
Because of the limited number of studies, a post-hoc power calculation was conducted to examine whether a sufficient number of studies and sample sizes had been taken into consideration in order to identify relevant effects. These calculations indicated that the inclusion of five studies, with a mean sample size of 41 participants per condition, a low degree of heterogeneity assumed and a significance level of α = 0.05, resulted in a statistical power of 0.47, in order to detect an Effect sizes (ESs) of −0.21. intervention quality (In) this first comprehensive meta-analytic review of the effects of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on biomarkers in patients with psychiatric disorders, it was found that while several types of biomarkers and participants were included and the selected articles were of poor quality, significant findings were observed for MBIs in terms of improvements in the event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes in patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [66], in the methylation of serotonin transporter genes in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [72], in the salivary levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in participants with depressive symptoms [68] and in the blood levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), IL-6, and TNF-α in patients with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) [26]
Very few studies have been conducted on the effects of MBIs on ERP amplitudes in adult patients with ADHD
Summary
Mindfulness is a theoretical construct that comes from Eastern spiritual traditions, especially Buddhism, and that has been recently adapted to Western culture and science. New standardised intervention approaches based on MBSR have been developed, such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), which aims to prevent relapses in depression [5], and Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention, which reduces the probability and severity of relapse in patients with substance use disorders [6,7]. These programmes are described as Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs), with specific psychoeducational components adapted to the target population [1,8]
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