Could Meditation Modulate the Neurobiology of Learning Not to Fear?

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

85 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2010-12-31

Study Completion Date

2012-05-31

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

It is well-established that the practice of mindfulness meditation leads to improvements in mental health and well-being and the cultivation of positive emotions. However, the neural mechanisms of these improvements are largely unknown. A few recent studies suggest that mindfulness meditation impacts the structure and function of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the amygdala. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that these regions are part of a brain circuit that is critical for the extinction of conditioned fear responses, and for the retention of fear extinction memory. Building on the overlap of these regions and on conceptual considerations, the project investigates whether mindfulness meditation could influence one's capacity to retain the memory of fear extinction. Meditation-naïve participants will be randomized to either a mindfulness-meditation based training or an active control training that controls for all mindfulness-unspecific components. Participants will undergo a fear conditioning, extinction and extinction recall protocol in an MRI scanner before and after the trainings. We hypothesize that participants who have practiced mindfulness meditation will show greater improvements in fear extinction memory after the course, and that these improvements will be correlated with anatomical and functional changes in the brain regions of interest. Improvements in fear extinction memory will also be related to improvements in self-reported psychological well-being. Merging the fields of an ancient spiritual tradition and a fundamental learning mechanism, the project investigates the underlying neural mechanisms of a practice for the enhancement of mental health and well-being.

Related Clinical Trials

Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.

Stress Reduction and Anxiety: Effects on the Function and Structure of the Brain

NCT01128309

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

COMPLETED NA

Brain and Mindfulness

NCT03117478

Healthy

COMPLETED NA

Mindful Self-Regulation fMRI Pilot Study

NCT02972853

Psychiatric Problem Depression Anxiety +2 more

COMPLETED NA

Brain Imaging Technology to Examine the Effects of Meditation

NCT00082160

Healthy

COMPLETED

Imaging Cerebral and Sub-cerebral Correlates of Meditative States

NCT01262404

Stress

UNKNOWN

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Healthy Individuals Highly Stressed

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course

an eight week mindfulness-based stress reduction course

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course

Waitlist group

waitlist group

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course

an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

18-65 years of age Proficient in English Right-handed Free of medication that affect cerebral metabolism Able to give informed consent High stress level (defined as a score of \>= 3 on the 4-item Perceived Stress Scale).

Exclusion Criteria

More than 10 meditation sessions of any tradition in their lifetime, or more than 5 sessions within the last year.

More than 10 yoga sessions of any tradition in their lifetime, or more than 5 sessions within the last year.

History of neurologic or psychiatric disease, substance abuse or dependence that is current or within the last year.

Major/chronic medical conditions History of head injury resulting in prolonged loss of consciousness and/or neurological sequelae History of seizures History of stroke Prior neurosurgical procedure Metal in the body, metal injury to the eyes Implanted pacemaker, medication pump, vagal stimulator, deep brain stimulator, TENS unit, or ventriculo-peritoneal shunt Pregnancy; breastfeeding or nursing Claustrophobia Weight \> 350 lbs.

Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes