Mindfulness intervention for mild cognitive impairment led to attention-related improvements and neuroplastic changes: Results from a 9-month randomized control trial

Yu, Junhong; Rawtaer, Iris; Feng, Lei; Fam, Johnson; Kumar, Alan Prem; Cheah, Irwin K.; Honer, William G.; Su, Wayne; Lee, Yuan Kun; Tan, Ene Choo; Kua, Ee Heok; Mahendran, Rathi

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.032

Cited by 29 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…There is currently some evidence that MBIs can slow or reverse cognitive decline in persons with neurodegenerative disorders, [11][12][13][14] with a recent systematic review suggesting that effect sizes are in the small-to-medium range. 15 In particular, it has been suggested that early intervention, such as at the stage of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), is more effective than when patients progress to more severe disease.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing mindfulness-based training for neuropsychological outcomes in mild cognitive impairment

Doshi¹,

Henderson²,

Fan³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Current pharmacological and behavioural treatment options for mild cognitive impairment and dementia are limited, motivating a search for alternative therapies that might slow the progression of cognitive decline in these disorders. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a cognition-focused mindfulness-based intervention in achieving this aim.Design: Open-label, three-arm randomized controlled trial, Setting: Public tertiary medical centreParticipants: Older persons (ages 45-75; N = 76) diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI)Intervention: Mindfulness-based training (MBT), cognitive rehabilitation therapy (CRT), and treatment as usual (TAU). Participants in the intervention arms received 8 weekly 2-hour sessions delivered in a group setting and were encouraged to engage in home practice.Measurements: Primary outcomes measures of this trial were change in index scores for attention, immediate memory, and delayed memory measured using the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Depression was a secondary outcome.Results: Using intent-to-treat analysis, we found that participants receiving MBT showed significant improvements in global cognition (d = 0.26; [95% CI 0.03 - 0.56]) and delayed memory (d = 0.36; [95% CI 0.17 - 0.57]), with significantly greater improvements in delayed memory than CRT (ηp2 = 0.10). However, there was no benefit of MBT over TAU. No change in depression was observed in the MBT group. Reductions in depression were associated with improvements in cognitive functioning in the MBT group only.Conclusion: Our results suggest that a cognition-focused MBT did not improve cognitive functioning in MCI patients substantially more than spontaneous reversion rates, possibly as mood symptoms were not significantly alleviated in this group.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing mindfulness-based training for neuropsychological outcomes in mild cognitive impairment

Doshi¹,

Henderson²,

Fan³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The study has completed intervention and data collection. Part of the data analyses have been completed and published [ 61 , 65 , 68 , 69 , 70 ]. The remaining analyses are estimated to be completed by December 2021.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mindfulness Awareness Practice (MAP) to Prevent Dementia in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial and Implementation Outcomes

Feng

Fam

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: With an aging population, developing non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) to delay dementia has become critical. Apart from cognitive decline, dementia is associated with multiple pathophysiology, including increased oxidative stress, dysregulated gene expressions, cytokine, neurotrophin, and stress markers, telomere shortening, and deteriorations in brain connectivity. Although mindfulness practices have been proposed to ameliorate these biological changes, no empirical studies were conducted. We thus aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness awareness practice (MAP) to prevent cognitive decline and improve peripheral biomarkers in community-dwelling older adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods/Design: This was a single-blinded and parallel-group randomized controlled trial with two arms (intervention and active control arms), conducted over nine months. A total of 60 consenting community-dwelling older adults diagnosed with MCI were planned to be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either the MAP or the Health Education Program (HEP). Interventions were performed weekly for the initial 12 weeks, and monthly for the subsequent six months. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline, 3-month, and 9-month post-intervention by blinded assessors. Primary outcomes were neurocognitive tests, comprehensive peripheral biomarkers, and brain imaging scans. Secondary outcomes included basic health screening measures, affective symptoms, and measures of physical functions. Linear-mixed models were used to examine the effects of MAP on these outcome measures. Significance: This is the first randomized controlled trial to systematically investigate the effects of a mindfulness intervention in improving cognitive functions and various biomarkers in community-dwelling older adults diagnosed with MCI. Our findings have the potential to inform mindfulness intervention as a novel approach to delay dementia.

show abstract

“…In a recent study (Yu et al, 2021), significantly improved attention, and better performance in color trails interference task were seen after 9 months of mindfulness meditation in MCI subjects, but the effects were not seen after correcting for false discovery rate. No other neuropsychological function changed significantly in that study during this period (Yu et al, 2021). Indeed, results from the few studies that have looked at the cognitive effects of meditation in MCI or AD patients have been variable, with some showing no significant improvement compared to controls (Wells et al, 2013a;Larouche et al, 2018Larouche et al, , 2019Klainin-Yobas et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Few researchers have studied the effect of meditation (or mindfulness) on structural or functional changes in the brain in patients with MCI or AD (Newberg et al, 2010;Wells et al, 2013a,b;Yang et al, 2016;Fam et al, 2020;Yu et al, 2021). Morphometric studies are even rarer (Wells et al, 2013b;Yang et al, 2016;Yu et al, 2021) and none included patients with mild AD. In the structural MRI component of their studies, both Wells et al (2013b) and Yang et al (2016) assessed gray matter volume but not cortical thickness, whereas Yang et al (2016) especially focused on the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral hippocampi.…”

Mindfulness intervention for mild cognitive impairment led to attention-related improvements and neuroplastic changes: Results from a 9-month randomized control trial

Cited by 29 publications

References 26 publications

Assessing mindfulness-based training for neuropsychological outcomes in mild cognitive impairment

Assessing mindfulness-based training for neuropsychological outcomes in mild cognitive impairment

Mindfulness Awareness Practice (MAP) to Prevent Dementia in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial and Implementation Outcomes

Data_Sheet_1.pdf

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About