A randomized control trial of meditation compared to music listening to improve cognitive function for breast cancer survivors: Feasibility and acceptability

Incorporating a Usual Care Comparator into a Study of Meditation and Music Listening for Older Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Randomized Feasibility Trial

“…To date, published controlled trials regarding the effects of meditation or ML on cognitive function targeting older adults with SCD have been limited, and those in other populations with or at risk for cognitive impairment remain relatively few [ 5–7, 68–71 ]. Nonetheless, our findings are broadly consistent with those of: a recent RCT of meditation in Chinese elders with sleep impairment [ 72 ]; pilot controlled trials of KK meditation versus ML in depressed dementia caregivers [ 73 ], adults with memory loss [ 74 ], and breast cancer survivors [ 75 ]; RCTs of KK meditation and yoga in MCI patients [ 76 ] and of mindfulness-based stress reduction in adults with stress disorders and cognitive concerns [ 77 ]; an RCT of mindfulness for patients with AD[ 78 ], and an early pilot RCT of Transcendental meditation in both cognitively impaired and unimpaired elderly [ 79 ]. Likewise, our findings are in overall agreement with those of RCTs investigating the cognitive effects of mindful or passive music listening in stroke patients [ 80–82 ] and three RCTs of interventions incorporating music-listening in Finnish and Taiwanese dementia patients [ 83, 84 ] and Spanish nursing home residents with cognitive impairment [ 85 ].…”

Mindfulness-based interventions and cognitive function in cancer survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…The three-arm studies included both active and inactive control groups. Active controls varied, including music listening, 37 supportive expressive therapy, 36 metacognition treatment, 44 fatigue education and support, 40 and walking groups. 49…”

“…Detailed study characteristics are summarized in Table 2. Of the 24 studies included, 13 were two-arm randomized controlled trials (RCTs), 13,[35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] nine were single-arm studies (Fig. 2), 14,[50][51][52][53][54][55][56] and two were three-arm RCTs.…”

“…Various MBIs were tested across the included studies, the most frequently being structured mindfulness programs, including MBSR, 35,38,40,42,[44][45][46][47]48,52,53 adaptations of MBSR for cancer populations (eg, MBCR), 13,14,36,41,54,57 mindfulness-based art therapy, 39,50 mindfulness-based music therapy, 55 and a combination of MBSR and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. 48 Other MBIs tested were Tibetan sound meditation, 43,56 Pranic meditation, 51 Kirtan Kriya meditation, 37 and a mindful walking program. 49 The length of these interventions varied from 2 weeks with practice in-between 50 to 12 weeks.…”

The Effect of Yoga Meditation Practice on Young Adults’ Inhibitory Control: An fNIRS Study

“…A study conducted by Sankar et al (2020) found that cognitive abilities were enhanced in people who practiced meditation. Meditation is considered to be a feasible, acceptable, and cost-effective intervention for the benefit of cognitive and psychological symptoms in breast cancer survivors (Henneghan et al, 2020). The study conducted by Spadaro and Hunker (2016) used a remote meditation intervention that was easy to learn, required little instruction, and easily integrated into the participants' busy schedule (only 12 min per day), showing some effectiveness in reducing stress and anxiety and improving the cognitive performance of nursing students.…”