Neural correlates of mindful disengagement from worry.

Abstract

Uncontrollable worry is a hallmark of generalized anxiety disorder and a transdiagnostic feature of psychopathology. Mindfulness-based strategies show promise for treating worry, but it is unknown which specific strategies are most beneficial, and how these skills might operate on a neurobiological level. We recruited 40 participants with clinically significant worry to undergo functional magnetic resonance imaging while engaging in real-time, idiographic worry and instructed disengagement using two mindfulness strategies (focused attention, acceptance) and one comparison strategy (suppression). Hypotheses were preregistered and partially supported. All disengagement strategies downregulated default mode and upregulated frontoparietal and salience networks, suggesting some shared mechanisms. Focused attention was most effective for promoting disengagement and elicited decreased activity in cognitive control and sensorimotor regions. Successful disengagement was associated with increased activity in rostrolateral prefrontal cortex and functional connectivity between posterior cingulate and primary somatosensory cortex. Findings support the role of cognitive control and somatosensory networks in disengagement from worry and suggest common and distinct mechanisms of disengagement, with focused attention a particularly promising strategy.

Cognitive Network Changes After Exposure to Haptic Vibrotactile Trigger Technology: Results From The ENHANCE Study

“…The Srysty Holdings Inc VTT-incorporated patterns are woven into performance products, such as socks, insoles, sleeves, and patches, and designed to promote wellness by triggering neural pathways and circuits associated with the brainstem and other parts of the CNS, and that are crucially designed to control pain sensations, cognitive neurocircuits, and posture control, and also improve mindful cognition, balance, posture, mobility, and memory [6].…”

“…Sensation and tactual perception by skin dermatomes and related neuro-receptors is an innate mechanism for human survival and regeneration of mindful wellness and represents our advanced and adaptive somatosensorial ability to apprehend information via haptics, which sustains the active touch for object recognition and perception by higher centers of the brain [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The somatosensation, which is distinguished by a collection of molecular receptors responsive to various stimuli (thermal, tactile, and mechanical), is essential for survival, balance regulation, pain modulation, and, more recently, cognitive networks and cerebral interactions [1,3,7,8].…”

“…VTT is designed to trigger skin receptors to generate a combination of sensory signals, which are subsequently processed by cognition after being relayed through neural modules, and theoretically leading to a natural 'reset' of the neural networks to enhance focus, clarity, and calmness. In theory, these neuro-signals represent a set of messages that may assist in amplification of cognitive abilities and awareness [1,[6][7][8]. In recent years, haptic skin-stimulation technology has been incorporated into several over-the-counter products with different routes of delivery that include patches, apparel (socks), braces, wrist bands, and compression sleeves, among others [1,7,8,13].…”

“…A potential correlation has been established between EEG modulations and subsequent interference with neuronal activities within a system of cognits that are likely to be involved with specialized cognitive networks [1,24]. This may have neuropathological implications in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and deficit or debilitating conditions, in addition to enhancing the general wellness and functionality of the mindful individual [1,6,25].…”