Mindfulness and Cognitive Functions: Toward a Unifying Neurocognitive Framework

Raffone, Antonino; Srinivasan, Narayanan

doi:10.1007/s12671-016-0654-1

Cited by 43 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 125 publications

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“…The recent proposition of a generic multiple demand system of frontal and parietal brain areas that coordinates the involvement of task-specific networks (Duncan 2010) may play an important role in this respect (Raffone and Srinivasan 2017). More precisely, while establishing and maintaining mindful meditation states is likely to involve task-specific attention functions (Malinowski 2013), their activation and interplay during MM may be orchestrated by the multiple demand system and its phasic recruitment of task-specific networks (Duncan 2013;Fedorenko et al 2013).…”

Section: Mindfulness Meditation and Cognitive Skill Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meditation and Cognitive Ageing: the Role of Mindfulness Meditation in Building Cognitive Reserve

Malinowski

Shalamanova

2017

J Cogn Enhanc

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Mindfulness-related meditation practices engage various cognitive skills including the ability to focus and sustain attention, which in itself requires several interacting attentional subfunctions. There is increasing behavioural and neuroscientific evidence that mindfulness meditation improves these functions and associated neural processes. More so than other cognitive training programmes, the effects of meditation appear to generalise to other cognitive tasks, thus demonstrating far transfer effects. As these attentional functions have been linked to age-related cognitive decline, there is growing interest in the question whether meditation can slowdown or even prevent such decline. The cognitive reserve hypothesis builds on evidence that various lifestyle factors can lead to better cognitive performance in older age than would be predicted by the existing degree of brain pathology. We argue that mindfulness meditation, as a combination of brain network and brain state training, may increase cognitive reserve capacity and may mitigate age-related declines in cognitive functions. We consider available direct and indirect evidence from the perspective of cognitive reserve theory. The limited available evidence suggests that MM may enhance cognitive reserve capacity directly through the repeated activation of attentional functions and of the multiple demand system and indirectly through the improvement of physiological mechanisms associated with stress and immune function. The article concludes with outlining research strategies for addressing underlying empirical questions in more substantial ways.

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Section: Mindfulness Meditation and Cognitive Skill Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meditation and Cognitive Ageing: the Role of Mindfulness Meditation in Building Cognitive Reserve

Malinowski

Shalamanova

2017

J Cogn Enhanc

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“…This means KY is able to recognize our awareness, to refine it, and to expand that awareness to our unlimited self [16].The integration of mindfulness and yoga training in our intervention is supported by the evidence that both practices have influences not only on individual brain network, but also on integrated brain states and brain-body interactions [19]. Furthermore, both such time-honored practices can be regarded as synergic in terms of their effects on body and mind states, with particular reference to posture, breath, autonomous nervous system, and the major neural networks involved in the regulation of cognition and emotion [19][20][21].Further aspects of relevance in our training are the use of a short duration program (4 weeks), which appears not only less costly and with higher odds of attendance among the participants but also easier to be implemented in organizational contexts. In the mostly used MBIs, such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), training in formal mindfulness practices is provided, including body scan, sitting meditation, and yoga, with a standard duration of 8 weeks [22] as shown by a recent systematic review [23].There is some evidence that demonstrates the efficacy of a brief 4-week mindfulness intervention for nurses and nurse aides, with significant improvements in burnout symptoms, relaxation, and life satisfaction [24].…”

mentioning

confidence: 72%

“…The integration of mindfulness and yoga training in our intervention is supported by the evidence that both practices have influences not only on individual brain network, but also on integrated brain states and brain-body interactions [19]. Furthermore, both such time-honored practices can be regarded as synergic in terms of their effects on body and mind states, with particular reference to posture, breath, autonomous nervous system, and the major neural networks involved in the regulation of cognition and emotion [19][20][21].…”

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confidence: 72%

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Yoga and Mindfulness as a Tool for Influencing Affectivity, Anxiety, Mental Health, and Stress among Healthcare Workers: Results of a Single-Arm Clinical Trial

Torre

Raffone

Peruzzo

et al. 2020

JCM

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Mindfulness-based interventions have emerged as unique approaches for addressing a range of clinical and subclinical difficulties such as stress, chronic pain, anxiety, or recurrent depression. Moreover, there is strong evidence about the positive effects of yoga practice on stress management and prevention of burnout among healthcare workers. The aim of this study was to conduct a single-arm clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of an intervention based on mindfulness-based stress reduction and yoga in improving healthcare workers' quality of life. Healthcare workers of two hospitals in Rome were enrolled in a 4-week yoga and mindfulness course. Four questionnaires were administered at different times (Short Form-12 (SF-12), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) Y1 and Y2, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS)) to evaluate the efficacy of the intervention. Forty participants took part to the study (83.3 %). The Mental Composite Score-12, that is part of the quality of life assessment, passed from a median of 43.5 preintervention to 48.1 postintervention (p = 0.041), and the negative affect passed from a score of 16 in the preintervention to 10 in the postintervention (p < 0.001). Both the forms of the STAI questionnaires showed a decrease after the intervention. Yoga and mindfulness administered together seem to be effective to reduce stress and anxiety in healthcare workers, providing them with more consciousness and ability to manage work stressful demands.anxiety, or recurrent depression [1-3]. Mindfulness can be described as a moment-to-moment awareness that is cultivated by purposefully paying attention to the present experience with a nonjudgmental attitude. It can be implemented through structured programs, including group and individual mental training, and is generally considered to entail the two core components of attention and acceptance [4]. More in details, mindfulness consists of formal meditation exercises (e.g., paying attention to the body, lying on the ground, or walking slowly with a sense of awareness of one's surroundings) as well as informal exercises (e.g., paying full attention to what one is doing or experiencing at a certain moment) [5]. Moreover, adaptive changes in brain functioning and structure (functional and neural plasticity) related to mindfulness training have been reported in several neuroscientific studies [6,7]. MBIs were initially developed for clinical contexts, but several studies have demonstrated that these interventions improve cognitive performance and emotional reactivity also in nonclinical populations [8,9]. Other studies have shown the effectiveness of MBIs for stress reduction and the enhancement of well-being within the workplace setting [10,11]. Finally, several cross-sectional studies provide indirect evidence that regular mindfulness practice may counteract cognitive ageing, which is indicated by preserved performance in various cognitive tasks as well as preserved neural tissue in older meditators compared to age-matched individuals [12,13]....

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“…EEG alpha power is a marker for cognitive and attentional processes (Klimesch, 1999;Katyal et al, 2019) and specifically associated with DMN (Jann et al, 2009) and DAN (Hacker et al, 2017). Alpha oscillations may play a crucial role for the attentional and cognitive control processes involved in meditation (Marzetti et al, 2014;Raffone and Srinivasan, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Content-Free Awareness: EEG-fcMRI Correlates of Consciousness as Such in an Expert Meditator

Winter

LeVan

Borghardt³

et al. 2020

Front. Psychol.

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The minimal neural correlate of the conscious state, regardless of the neural activity correlated with the ever-changing contents of experience, has still not been identified. Different attempts have been made, mainly by comparing the normal waking state to seemingly unconscious states, such as deep sleep or general anesthesia. A more direct approach would be the neuroscientific investigation of conscious states that are experienced as free of any specific phenomenal content. Here we present serendipitous data on content-free awareness (CFA) during an EEG-fMRI assessment reported by an extraordinarily qualified meditator with over 50,000 h of practice. We focused on two specific cortical networks related to external and internal awareness, i.e., the dorsal attention network (DAN) and the default mode network (DMN), to explore the neural correlates of this experience. The combination of high-resolution EEG and ultrafast fMRI enabled us to analyze the dynamic aspects of fMRI connectivity informed by EEG power analysis. The neural correlates of CFA were characterized by a sharp decrease in alpha power and an increase in theta power as well as increases in functional connectivity in the DAN and decreases in the posterior DMN. We interpret these findings as correlates of a top-down-initiated attentional state excluding external sensory stimuli and internal mentation from conscious experience. We conclude that the investigation of states of CFA could provide valuable input for new methodological and conceptual approaches in the search for the minimal neural correlate of consciousness.

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Mindfulness and Cognitive Functions: Toward a Unifying Neurocognitive Framework

Cited by 43 publications

References 125 publications

Meditation and Cognitive Ageing: the Role of Mindfulness Meditation in Building Cognitive Reserve

Meditation and Cognitive Ageing: the Role of Mindfulness Meditation in Building Cognitive Reserve

Yoga and Mindfulness as a Tool for Influencing Affectivity, Anxiety, Mental Health, and Stress among Healthcare Workers: Results of a Single-Arm Clinical Trial

Content-Free Awareness: EEG-fcMRI Correlates of Consciousness as Such in an Expert Meditator

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