Body–mind relaxation meditation modulates the thalamocortical functional connectivity in major depressive disorder: a preliminary resting-state fMRI study

Abstract

Mindfulness-based interventions such as meditation have increasingly been utilized for the treatment of psychological disorders and have been shown to be effective in the treatment of depression and relapse prevention. However, it remains largely unclear the neural mechanism of the therapeutic effects of meditation among depressed individuals. In this study, we investigated how body–mind relaxation meditation (BMRM) can modulate the thalamocortical functional connectivity (FC) in major depressive disorder patients and healthy controls. In the present study, we recruited 21 medication-naive adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDDs) and 24 matched healthy controls (HCs). We designed an audio recording to induce body–mind relaxation meditation. Resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) scans were collected before and after the BMRM intervention in both groups. The thalamus subregions were defined according to the Human Brainnetome Atlas, and functional connectivity (FC) was measured and compared to find brain regions that were affected by the BMRM intervention. Before the BMRM intervention, MDDs showed reduced FC of the bilateral precuneus/post cingulate cortex with the left posterior parietal thalamus and left caudal temporal thalamus, as well as an increased FC of the left occipital thalamus with the left medial frontal cortex. Moreover, aberrant FCs in MDDs at baseline were normalized following the BMRM intervention. After the BMRM intervention, both MDDs and HCs showed decreased FC between the left rostral temporal thalamus and the left inferior occipital. Given the small sample used in this study, future studies are warranted to evaluate the generalizability of these findings. Our findings suggest that BMRM is associated with changes in thalamocortical functional connectivity in MDDs. BMRM may act by strengthening connections between the thalamus and the default mode network, which are involved in a variety of high-level functioning, such as attention and self-related processes.

The thalamus is the causal hub of intervention in patients with major depressive disorder: Evidence from the Granger causality analysis

“…These findings suggest that basal ganglia may play a role in the pathophysiology of MDD. Increased sensory information from the THA to basal ganglia and decreased reward information in the opposite direction potentially contribute to the anhedonia and negative attention bias of MDD patients ( Chen et al, 2021 ).…”

Functional connectivity impairment of thalamus-cerebellum-scratching neural circuits in pruritus of chronic spontaneous urticaria

“…It processes all the sensory signals from different parts of the body and relays them to the cerebral cortex. Because of its importance, minimal damage to the thalamus can negatively affect other brain regions ( Chen et al, 2021 ). The thalamus is a complex and diverse brain region comprising many nuclei with diverse physiological functions.…”

Are rehabilitation interventions effective for kinesiophobia and pain in osteoarthritis? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

“…For psychological interventions, many studies summarized favorable therapies in reducing kinesiophobia associated with chronic musculoskeletal disorders, such as Pilates (53), cognitive behavioral therapy (54), and PNE (55,56). The change might be by improving control networks linked to better emotion management and attentiveness in people with kinesiophobia (57,58).…”