The Effect of Brief Mindfulness Training on Brain Reactivity to Food Cues During Nicotine Withdrawal: A Pilot Functional Imaging Study

Do mindfulness-based interventions change brain function in people with substance dependence? A systematic review of the fMRI evidence

“…Table 1 shows the characteristics of the 7 studies included [ 9 , 19 , 26 – 30 ]. All studies were published within the last 10 years—between 2013 and 2019—and examined tobacco users with one exception, which examined abstinent opioid users [ 26 ].…”

“…All studies were published within the last 10 years—between 2013 and 2019—and examined tobacco users with one exception, which examined abstinent opioid users [ 26 ]. As shown in Table 1 , individual studies that compared MBI and control groups had no significant differences in ages, and male-to-female proportions, with the exception of two studies that recruited a MBI group only [ 19 , 30 ].…”

“…MBI interventions varied and included general mindfulness training for smoking cessation (2 studies) [ 28 , 29 ], and general mindfulness/mindful eating training [ 30 ] followed by the other interventions examined by individual studies: Mindfulness Orientated Recovery Enhancement (MORE) [ 27 , 31 ], Mindfulness-based Therapy (MBT) [ 26 ], Integrative Mindfulness Body Training (IMBT) [ 9 ] and a Mindful Attention task [ 19 ] performed in the MRI scanner. All MBIs were manualized except for Mindfulness Training, which varied between studies.…”

“…Three studies examined brain functional changes over time in MBI vs. control intervention groups and reported group-by-time interactions [ 9 , 26 – 28 ]. Four studies [ 9 , 26 , 28 , 30 ] measured brain functional changes pre-to-post MBI , and three of these studies also measured brain functional changes pre-to-post in control interventions . Two studies entailed a cross sectional comparison of brain function at the conclusion of MBI and the control intervention [ 9 , 29 ].…”

“…Study designs were: two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) [ 28 , 29 ], one randomized controlled experiment [ 9 ], one randomly assigned to any of the two groups (MBI, control) [ 26 ], one non-RCT [ 27 ] and two within-subject designs (i.e. MBI assessed at baseline and follow-up without a control group [ 30 ] and a within-subject control condition design where the same participant’s brain function during cue reactivity was measured and compared during a mindful state and a neutral state [ 19 ]. Details pertaining to the allocation of condition for participants can be found in Supplementary Text 1.…”