Exploring the Behavioral and Neural Mechanisms of Mindfulness in Enhancing Spatial Working Memory
Poster No:
1114
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Yuwen He1, Seng-Hang Lei1, Wenyue Gao1, Anqi Gu1, Jieting Chen1, Jiaze Li1, Mek Wong1, Kuai Long Sou1, Zhen Yuan1
Institutions:
1University of Macau, Macau, China
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
Mindfulness practice has been shown to enhance various cognitive functions, including memory (Creswell, 2017; Tang et al., 2015). Although several studies have demonstrated the positive impact of mindfulness on working memory (Jha et al., 2010; Stein et al., 2022), its effects on spatial working memory in college students remain largely unexplored. Furthermore, the neural mechanisms underlying the regulation effects of mindfulness on spatial working memory remain poorly understood. To address these gaps, we conducted a brief mindfulness intervention study.
Methods:
In the initial phase of the study, we recruited 15 participants with no prior mindfulness experience for the experimental group, which underwent a 4-week mindfulness workshop. Additionally, we recruited 10 matched participants for the control group, who did not engage in mindfulness practice. Both groups performed a spatial working memory task during an fMRI scan on two occasions: first upon recruitment and again three months later. For further analysis, 11 participants from the experimental group and 9 participants from the control group met the eligibility criteria.
Results:
Preliminary results revealed that the brief mindfulness intervention significantly reduced dysfunctional metacognition in individuals who practiced mindfulness (Figure 1, group*time interaction p=0.02), suggesting the effectiveness of our intervention. As depicted in Figure 2A, participants in the mindfulness group demonstrated improved spatial working memory performance after three months, whereas the control group showed decreased performance, although the group*time interaction was not significant in the current sample (p = 0.2). Neuroimaging findings indicated a significant group*time interaction effect in the right frontal eye field (Figure 2 B, uncorrected p < 0.001), a crucial brain region involved in attentional control.
·Figure 1
·Figure 2
Conclusions:
In summary, our preliminary results suggest that the brief mindfulness intervention holds the potential for enhancing spatial working memory in individuals. Furthermore, the observed modulated brain activations in the right frontal eye field, resulting from mindfulness practice, may underlie the improvements in spatial working memory performance.
Emotion, Motivation and Social Neuroscience:
Self Processes 2
Learning and Memory:
Working Memory 1
Learning and Memory Other
Keywords:
Anxiety
Cognition
Memory
Meta-Cognition
MRI
Treatment
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Provide references using author date format
Jha, A. P., Stanley, E. A., Kiyonaga, A., Wong, L., & Gelfand, L. (2010). Examining the protective effects of mindfulness training on working memory capacity and affective experience. Emotion, 10(1), 54-64. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018438
Stein, J. A., Bray, S., MacMaster, F. P., Tomfohr-Madsen, L., & Kopala-Sibley, D. C. (2022). Adolescents with High Dispositional Mindfulness Show Altered Right Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Activity During a Working Memory Task. Mindfulness, 13(1), 198-210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01785-4
Tang, Y. Y., Holzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015). The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nat Rev Neurosci, 16(4), 213-225. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn3916