@misc{10481/92524,
year = {2024},
month = {1},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10481/92524},
abstract = {Mindfulness training has been shown to improve psychological health and general well-being. However, it is
unclear which brain and personality systems may be affected by this practice for improving adaptive behavior
and quality of life. The present study explores the effects of a 5-week mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) at the
neuroanatomical level and its relationship with dispositional mindfulness and impulsivity. Sixty-six risky drivers
were quasi-randomly assigned to a mindfulness training group (MT) or a control group (N). Participants underwent
magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and the
UPPS-P impulsivity scale twice, at baseline and after receiving the MBI. We observed that MBI changes dispositional
mindfulness in the non-reactivity and observing facets. Further, we observed that the magnitude of
change in impulsivity was associated with the change in dispositional mindfulness. Whole-brain voxel-wise
analysis revealed that the volume of the right caudate nucleus of the MT group (n = 27) showed a reduction
compared to that of the control group (n = 33), which increased in terms of the pre-post measurement
(MT=-1.76 mm3; N = 6.31 mm3). We also observed that reduced caudate nucleus volume correlated with
decreased positive urgency in the MT group. Taken together, our results show that MBI improves the skills of
observing and non-reactivity to inner experience, while producing changes in the structure of the caudate nucleus.
These structural changes are associated with a reduction in impulsivity levels, decreasing the tendency to
act rashly in situations that generate positive emotions and thus facilitating more adaptive behavior.},
organization = {Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry,
and Competitiveness [PSI2016-80558-R]},
organization = {Predoctoral fellowship of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and
Sports [FPU18/03263]},
publisher = {Elsevier},
keywords = {Mindfulness},
keywords = {Gray matter},
keywords = {Caudate nucleus},
title = {Brain changes following mindfulness: Reduced caudate volume is associated with decreased positive urgency},
doi = {10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114859},
author = {Mas Cuesta, Laura and Baltruschat, Sabina and Cándido Ortiz, Antonio and Verdejo Lucas, Carmen and Catena Verdejo, Elvira and Catena Martínez, Andrés},
}