Mindfulness‐based cognitive therapy on bereavement grief: Alterations of resting‐state network connectivity associate with changes of anxiety and mindfulness

Abstract

Bereavement, the experience of losing a loved one, is one of the most catastrophic but inevitable events in life. It causes grief and intense depression-like sadness. Recent studies have revealed the effectiveness and proficiency of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in emotional regulation among bereavement populations. MBCT improves the well-being of the bereaved by enhancing cognitive performances. Regarding the neural correlates of bereavement grief, previous studies focused on the alleviation of emotion-cognition interferences at specific brain regions. Here, we hypothesized that the bereavement grief fundamentally triggers global alterations in the resting-state brain networks and part of the internetwork connectivity could be reformed after MBCT intervention. We recruited 19 bereaved individuals who participated the 8-week MBCT program. We evaluated (a) the largescale changes in brain connectivity affected by the MBCT program; as well as (b) the association between connectivity changes and self-rated questionnaire. First, after MBCT, the bereaved individuals showed the reduction of the internetwork connectivity in the salience, default-mode and fronto-parietal networks in the resting state but not under emotional arousal, implying the alleviated attention to spontaneous mind wandering after MBCT. Second, the alterations of functional connectivity between subcortical (e.g., caudate) and cortical networks (e.g., cingulo-opercular/sensorimotor) were associated with the changes of the mindfulness scale, the anxiety and the emotion regulation ability. In summary, MBCT could enhance spontaneous emotion regulation among the bereaved individuals through the internetwork reorganizations in the resting state.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Recurrent MDD Patients With Residual Symptoms: Alterations in Resting-State Theta Oscillation Dynamics Associated With Changes in Depression and Rumination

“…Our results demonstrated increased theta power in the bilateral frontal lobes, the left temporoparietal region and the right occipital region and enhanced phase synchronizations in the theta band mainly in the right hemisphere after MBCT. These results are consistent with previous suggestions that mindfulness meditation produces increased theta power ( 39 , 40 ), as well as alterations in functional connectivity across brain networks ( 19 , 41 , 42 ). In a pilot study ( 43 ), individuals with bipolar disorder showed decreased theta-band power, and post-MBCT individuals showed an increasing trend in theta power.…”

“…It is accepted that theta band subserves recruitment of metaawareness and cognitive control to sustain the meditative state (17), while alpha band maintains the cortical arousal to avoid perturbations by external stimuli (18). Evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have suggested that the default mode network (DMN), frontoparietal network (FPN), cingulo-opercular network (CON), and the reorganization of internetworks are also important in mindfulness-based interventions (19)(20)(21)(22). However, the mechanisms by which mindfulness-based neuroplasticity alleviates depression and rumination require further investigation.…”

Mindfulness Training Alters Resting-State EEG Dynamics in Novice Practitioners via Mindful Breathing and Body-scan

“…A potential explanation for this phenomenon was that the MBSR intervention was not effective in some of the participants, and therefore no neurophysiological change was introduced. The same phenomenon was also found in our previous mindfulness study on the bereaved individuals (Feng-Ying Huang et al, 2021) that some of them had their mindfulness levels decreased after the 8-week mindfulness intervention. The phenomenon suggested that mindfulness training did not guarantee success for everyone.…”

Mindfulness Training Associated With Resting-State Electroencephalograms Dynamics in Novice Practitioners via Mindful Breathing and Body-Scan

“…A potential explanation for this phenomenon was that the MBSR intervention was not effective in some of the participants, and therefore, no neurophysiological change was introduced. The same phenomenon was also found in a previous mindfulness study on the bereaved individuals (Huang et al, 2021) that some of them had their mindfulness levels decreased after the 8-week mindfulness intervention. The phenomenon suggested that mindfulness training did not guarantee success for everyone.…”