Abstract
Dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation are two psychological constructs closely interrelated, and both appear to improve with the long-term practice of mindfulness meditation. These constructs appear to be related to subcortical, prefrontal, and posterior brain areas involved in emotional processing, cognitive control, self-awareness, and mind wandering. However, no studies have yet discerned the neural basis of dispositional mindfulness that are minimally associated with emotion regulation. In the present study, we use a novel brain structural network analysis approach to study the relationship between structural networks and dispositional mindfulness, measured with two different and widely used instruments [Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)], taking into account the effect of emotion regulation difficulties. We observed a number of different brain regions associated with the different scales and dimensions. The total score of FFMQ and MAAS overlap with the bilateral parahippocampal and fusiform gyri. Additionally, MAAS scores were related to the bilateral hippocampus and the FFMQ total score to the right insula and bilateral amygdala. These results indicate that, depending on the instrument used, the characteristics measured could differ and could also involve different brain systems. However, it seems that brain areas related to emotional reactivity and semantic processing are generally related to Dispositional or trait mindfulness (DM), regardless of the instrument used.
Highlights
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Psychopathology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology
We use a novel brain structural network analysis approach to study the relationship between structural networks and dispositional mindfulness, measured with two different and widely used instruments [Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ)], taking into account the effect of emotion regulation difficulties
This study suggests that Dispositional or trait mindfulness (DM) is associated with different brain structures according to the type of DM measure used (MAAS vs. FFMQ), and which feature of the brain structure is studied
Summary
Specialty section: This article was submitted to Psychopathology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology. Dispositional mindfulness and emotion regulation are two psychological constructs closely interrelated, and both appear to improve with the long-term practice of mindfulness meditation These constructs appear to be related to subcortical, prefrontal, and posterior brain areas involved in emotional processing, cognitive control, self-awareness, and mind wandering. MAAS scores were related to the bilateral hippocampus and the FFMQ total score to the right insula and bilateral amygdala These results indicate that, depending on the instrument used, the characteristics measured could differ and could involve different brain systems. Dispositional or trait mindfulness (DM) is the tendency to be aware of the present moment in a nonjudgmental and non-reactive manner It can be seen as a resilience factor or as a risk factor for psychological health (Thompson et al, 2011). Emotion regulation refers to the process by which individuals intend to influence when, how, and for how long they experience and express emotions (Gross, 1998), and is thought to be at the core of various psychopathologies, such as alexithymia, panic attacks, anxiety, and abuse disorder, among others (Sheppes et al, 2015)
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