ArticlePublisher preview available

Supporting Mindfulness Practices with Brain-Sensing Devices. Cognitive and Electrophysiological Evidences

February 2019
Mindfulness 10(11–12)

DOI:10.1007/s12671-018-0975-3

Authors:

Davide Crivelli

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Giulia Fronda

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Michela Balconi

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Mindfulness meditation is at present deemed also as form of mental training that may allow for empowering focusing, attention regulation, and executive control skills. Nonetheless, the potential of traditional mindfulness practice for improving cognitive and neural efficiency is affected by two critical requirements—intensity of exercise and perseverance to practice—which represent a known limitation of accessibility to meditation practices. It has been suggested that the impact of such limitations might be reduced thanks to the support of external devices. The present study aims at testing the efficacy of an intensive technology-mediated intervention based on mindful practices and supported by a brain-sensing device to optimize cognitive performance and neural efficiency. Forty participants took part in the study and were randomly divided in an active control and an experimental group. Both groups were involved in a structured intervention, which lasted 4 weeks and was constituted by brief daily activities. The experimental group, differently from the active control, underwent mindfulness-based practices with the support of a dedicated device. Analyses highlighted increased electrophysiological responsiveness indices at rest and frequency profiles consistent with a relaxed mindset in the experimental group. Participants in the experimental group also showed improved electrophysiological markers of attention regulation and improved cognitive performance, as measured by a complex reaction times task. Findings hint at the potential of the investigated technology-mediated mindfulness practice for enhancing cognitive performance and for inducing consistent modulations of neural efficiency markers.

Cognitive outcome measures. Histogram of post-intervention modulation (weighted modulation indices) of reaction times during the complex RT subtask of the MIDA battery. Light gray: active control group; dark gray: experimental group. Bars represent ± 1 SE

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Resting-state electrophysiological outcome measures. Histograms of post-intervention modulation (weighted modulation indices) of a the alpha/beta ratio during eyes-closed resting-state as recorded at Pz electrode position and b, c the alpha blocking quantification as recorded, respectively, at Fz and Cz electrode positions. Light gray: active control group; dark gray: experimental group. Bars represent ± 1 SE

…

Task-related electrophysiological outcome measures. a, c Histograms of post-intervention modulation (weighted modulation indices) of the N2 ERP amplitude as recorded, respectively, at Fz and Cz electrode positions during a computerized Stroop-like task. Light gray: active control group; dark gray: experimental group. Bars represent ± 1 SE. b, d Group waveforms time-locked to congruent color-word stimuli as recorded, respectively, at Fz and Cz electrode positions. Dark red lines: experimental group; dark blue lines: active control group. Dashed lines: pre-intervention; solid lines: post-intervention. e Current source density (CSD) topographical maps relative to N2 peak latency, pre-, and post-intervention, for the active control and the experimental group

…

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ORIGINAL PAPER

Supporting Mindfulness Practices with Brain-Sensing Devices. Cognitive

and Electrophysiological Evidences

Davide Crivelli

1,2

&Giulia Fronda

1,2

&Irene Venturella

1,2

&Michela Balconi

1,2

Published online: 19 June 2018

#Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018

Abstract

Mindfulness meditation is at present deemed also as form of mental training that may allow for empowering focusing, attention

regulation, and executive control skills. Nonetheless, the potential of traditional mindfulness practice for improving cognitive and

neural efficiency is affected by two critical requirements—intensity of exercise and perseverance to practice—which represent a

known limitation of accessibility to meditation practices. It has been suggested that the impact of such limitations might be

reduced thanks to the support of external devices. The present study aims at testing the efficacy of an intensive technology-

mediated interventionbased on mindful practicesand supported by a brain-sensing device to optimize cognitive performance and

neural efficiency. Forty participants took part in the study and were randomly divided in an active control and an experimental

group. Both groups were involved in a structured intervention, which lasted 4 weeks and was constituted by brief daily activities.

The experimental group, differently from the active control, underwent mindfulness-based practices with the support of a

dedicated device. Analyses highlighted increased electrophysiological responsiveness indices at rest and frequency profiles

consistent with a relaxed mindset in the experimental group. Participants in the experimental group also showed improved

electrophysiological markers of attention regulation and improved cognitive performance, as measured by a complex reaction

times task. Findings hint at the potential of the investigated technology-mediated mindfulness practice for enhancing cognitive

performance and for inducing consistent modulations of neural efficiency markers.

Keywords Mindfulness .Neurofeedback .EEG .Wearable device .Attention .Cognitive control

Introduction

Mindfulness in Western culture can be defined as a peculiar

form of meditation based on self-observation and awareness

practices focused on the present. Mindfulness practice re-

quires conscious intentional focusing on and acceptance of

one’s own bodily sensations, mental states and feelings, non-

judgementally, and on a moment by moment basis (Kabat-Zinn

1990). Mindfulness meditation grounds on Buddhist

Vipass anātradition. Thought the relation between Buddhist

philosophical tradition and modern secularized conception of

mindfulness is still not exempt from critics (see Grossman

2010), the dedication and interest that neuroscience research

and psychological practice gave to mindfulness-based inter-

ventions are undeniable.

A growing set of empirical investigations allowed to sketch

a clearer picture of neurofunctional and psychological corre-

lates of mindfulness practice (Tang et al. 2015), on its potential

for modulating overt behavior and covert psychophysiological

activity (Pascoe et al. 2017; Quaglia et al. 2016a) and on its

likely short-term and long-term empowerment effects on cog-

nitive and emotion regulation skills (Keng et al. 2011).

Again, mindfulness has recently attracted much attention

following its increasingapplication in psychological protocols

aiming at the promotion of psychophysical well-being, where

it is used as an individual mental training activity to empower

mind/body self-regulation skills and to reach a more profound

self-knowledge by engaging a specific attentional set (Cahn

and Polich 2006;Kengetal.2011;Khouryetal.2013).

Namely, recent models of meditation and—specifically—

mindfulness practice identify two main forms of mental

*Davide Crivelli

davide.crivelli@unicatt.it

Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, Catholic

University of the Sacred Heart, Largo A. Gemelli 1,

20123 Milan, Italy

Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart,

Largo A. Gemelli 1, 20123 Milan, Italy

Mindfulness (2019) 10:301–311

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-018-0975-3

Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. Rights reserved.

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Distributed under Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 Enhanced conflict monitoring via a short-duration, video-assisted deep breathing in healthy young adults: an event-related potential approach through the Go/NoGo paradigm

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Objectives Practitioners of mindfulness are reported to have greater cognitive control especially in conflict monitoring, response inhibition and sustained attention. However, due to the various existing methods in each mindfulness practices and also, the high commitment factor, a barrier still exists for an individual to pick up the practices. Therefore, the effect of short duration deep breathing on the cognitive control is investigated here. Methods Short duration guided deep breathing videos consisting of 5, 7 and 9 min respectively were created and used on subjects training. The effect on cognitive control was assessed using a Go/NoGo task along with event-related potential (ERP) measurements at Fz, Cz, and Pz. Results From the study, the significant outcome showed at the follow-up session in which participants engaged for 5 min deep breathing group showed a profound NoGo N2 amplitude increment as compared to the control group, indicating an enhanced conflict monitoring ability. An inverse relationship between the NoGo N2 amplitude and the breathing duration is observed as well at the follow-up session. Conclusion These results indicated the possibility of performing short duration deep breathing guided by a video to achieve an enhanced conflict monitoring as an alternative to other mindfulness practices and 5 min is found to be the optimum practice duration. Significant This study is the first to establish a relationship between deep breathing and conflict monitoring through ERP. The study population of young adults taken from the same environment reduces the variance in ERP results due to age and environment. Limitation A larger sample size would provide a greater statistical power. A longer duration of deep breathing should be investigated to further clarify the relationship between the practice duration and the NoGo N2 amplitude. The result can be split by gender and analyzed separately due to the different brain structure of males and females.

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This paper reviews interactive technological approaches to improve mindfulness and fills a gap in the literature by using technology to target aspects of mindfulness that are missing in scientific research. Interactive approaches to train mindfulness are presented and discussed in relation to Bergomi’s conceptual mindfulness model and Vago and Silbersweig’s neurobiological approach for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes. Based on existing interactive technologies, key design guidelines are developed to investigate the delivery of mindfulness by interactive media, including the design recommendations of personalization, gamification, and social features for the S-ART component intention and motivation; biofeedback training and narrative for emotion regulation; moral dilemmas, perspective taking, and cooperative design for prosociality; and explorative self-reflection, visualization and immersive feedback, and the integration of internal stimuli for self-transcendence. The paper recommends to apply a more extensive definition of mindfulness, which includes ethical and spiritual development. As a design premise for mindfulness technology, it is advised to strive for embodied experiences that adapt to the user’s internal state.

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Article

Full-text available

Nov 2016

Background Mindfulness training (MT) programs represent an approach to attention training with well-validated mental health benefits. However, research supporting MT efficacy is based predominantly on weekly-meeting, facilitator-led, group-intervention formats. It is unknown whether participants might benefit from neurofeedback-assisted, technology-supported MT (N-tsMT), in which meditation is delivered individually, without the need for a facilitator, travel to a training site, or the presence of a supportive group environment. Mirroring the validation of group MT interventions, the first step in addressing this question requires identifying whether N-tsMT promotes measurable benefits. Here, we report on an initial investigation of a commercial N-tsMT system. Methods In a randomized, active control trial, community-dwelling healthy adult participants carried out 6 weeks of daily practice, receiving either N-tsMT (n = 13), or a control condition of daily online math training (n = 13). Training effects were assessed on target measures of attention and well-being. Participants also completed daily post-training surveys assessing effects on mood, body awareness, calm, effort, and stress. ResultsAnalysis revealed training effects specific to N-tsMT, with attentional improvements in overall reaction time on a Stroop task, and well-being improvements via reduced somatic symptoms on the Brief Symptom Inventory. Attention and well-being improvements were correlated, and effects were greatest for the most neurotic participants. However, secondary, exploratory measures of attention and well-being did not show training-specific effects. N-tsMT was associated with greater body awareness and calm, and initially greater effort that later converged with effort in the control condition. Conclusions Preliminary findings indicate that N-tsMT promotes modest benefits for attention and subjective well-being in a healthy community sample relative to an active control condition. However, the findings would benefit from replication in a larger sample, and more intensive practice or more comprehensive MT instruction might be required to promote the broader benefits typically reported in group format, facilitated MT. Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN43629398. Retrospectively registered on June 16, 2016.

Mindfulness Interventions Delivered by Technology Without Facilitator Involvement: What Research Exists and What Are the Clinical Outcomes?

Article

Full-text available

Oct 2016
Mindfulness

New cost-effective psychological interventions are needed to contribute to treatment options for psychiatric and physical health conditions. This systematic review aims to investigate the current literature on one potentially cost-effective form of mindfulness-based therapy, those delivered through technological platforms without any mindfulness facilitator input beyond the initial design of the programme. Three electronic databases (Ovid Medline, PsychINFO and Embase) were searched for relevant keywords, titles, medical subject headings (MeSH) and abstracts using search terms derived from a combination of two subjects: 'mindfulness' and 'technology'. Overall, ten studies were identified. The majority of studies were web-based and similar in structure and content to face-to-face mindfulness-based stress reduction courses. Clinical outcomes of stress (n = 5), depression (n = 6) and anxiety (n = 4) were reported along with mindfulness (n = 4), the supposed mediator of effects. All eight studies that measured significance found at least some significant effects (p < .05). The highest reported effect sizes were large (stress d = 1.57, depression d = .95, both ps > .005). However, methodological issues (e.g. selection bias, lack of control group and follow-up) which reflect the early nature of the work mean these largest effects are likely to be representative of maximal rather than average effects. Whilst there are important differences in the construction, length and delivery of interventions, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about the most effective models. Suggestions of key characteristics are made though, needing further investigation preferably in standardised interventions. Given the existing research and the speed at which technology is making new platforms and tools available, it seems important that further research explores two parallel lines: first, refinement and thorough evaluation of already established technology-based mindfulness programmes and second, exploration of novel approaches to mindfulness training that combine the latest technological advances with the knowledge and skills of experienced meditation teachers.

Meta-Analytic Evidence for Effects of Mindfulness Training on Dimensions of Self-Reported Dispositional Mindfulness

Article

Full-text available

Apr 2016

Improvements in stable, or dispositional, mindfulness are often assumed to accrue from mindfulness training and to account for many of its beneficial effects. However, research examining these assumptions has produced mixed findings, and the relation between dispositional mindfulness and mindfulness training is actively debated. A comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of mindfulness training published from 2003-2014 to investigate whether (a) different self-reported mindfulness scale dimensions change as a result of mindfulness training, (b) key aspects of study design (e.g., control condition type, population type, and intervention type) moderate training-related changes in dispositional mindfulness scale dimensions, and (c) changes in mindfulness scale dimensions are associated with beneficial changes in mental health outcomes. Scales from widely used dispositional mindfulness measures were combined into 5 categories for analysis: Attention, Description, Nonjudgment, Nonreactivity, and Observation. A total of 88 studies (n = 5,787) were included. Changes in scale dimensions of mindfulness from pre to post mindfulness training produced mean difference effect sizes ranging from small to moderate (g = 0.28-0.49). Consistent with the theorized role of improvements in mindfulness in training outcomes, changes in dispositional mindfulness scale dimensions were moderately correlated with beneficial intervention outcomes (r = .27-0.30), except for the Observation dimension (r = .16). Overall, moderation analyses revealed inconsistent results, and limitations of moderator analyses suggest important directions for future research. We discuss how the findings can inform the next generation of mindfulness assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record

Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences

Book

Jan 1988

J. Cohen

Mindfulness mediates the physiological markers of stress: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Article

Aug 2017
J PSYCHIATR RES

Meditation is a popular form of stress management, argued to mediate stress reactivity. However, many studies in this field commonly fail to include an active control group. Given the frequency with which people are selecting meditation as a form of self-management, it is important to validate if the practice is effective in mediating stress-reactivity using well-controlled studies. Thus, we aimed to conduct a meta-analysis investigating the neurobiological effects of meditation, including focused attention, open monitoring and automatic self-transcending subtypes, compared to an active control, on markers of stress. In the current meta-analysis and systematic review, we included randomised controlled trials comparing meditation interventions compared to an active control on physiological markers of stress. Studied outcomes include cortisol, blood pressure, heart-rate, lipids and peripheral cytokine expression. Forty-five studies were included. All meditation subtypes reduced systolic blood pressure. Focused attention meditations also reduced cortisol and open monitoring meditations also reduced heart rate. When all meditation forms were analysed together, meditation reduced cortisol, C - reactive protein, blood pressure, heart rate, triglycerides and tumour necrosis factor-alpha. Overall, meditation practice leads to decreased physiological markers of stress in a range of populations.

Normative data of the MIDA battery for the evaluation of reaction times

Article

Jan 1998

This paper describes the validation of a computerized battery for testing reaction times. It was administered to 354 healthy adult subjects. The battery was developed and weighted on Italian subjects. There is a lack of adequately weighted reaction times that could be performed by common PCs with no additional hardware support. Statistical analyses were performed on the test scores to determine whether there were significant effects for age, years of education and sex. The results are discussed in the light of other conflicting data reported in the literature. The MIDA battery is recommended both in the clinical and research setting for the diagnosis of specific attentional deficits (focused, selective, and spatial attention).