Neural correlates of dispositional mindfulness during affect labeling

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Mindfulness interventions improve health but underlying mechanisms are unclear.
• Affect labeling is a proposed mechanism for mindfulness benefits.
• Neuroimaging studies can elucidate the neural correlates of mindfulness.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms of mindfulness.
• Examine the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and brain activity during affect labeling.
• Identify neural correlates associated with affect labeling in individuals with varying mindfulness traits.

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to study brain activity.
• Participants (n=27) completed a trait mindfulness assessment.
• An affect labeling task (matching facial expressions to emotion words) and a control task (matching to names) were performed.

Main Results:

• Higher dispositional mindfulness correlated with greater prefrontal cortex activation during affect labeling.
• Reduced bilateral amygdala activity was observed in mindful individuals during affect labeling.
• A negative association between prefrontal cortex and right amygdala responses was found in high mindfulness participants.

Conclusions:

• Dispositional mindfulness is associated with enhanced prefrontal cortical regulation of affect.
• Affect labeling may be a key neurocognitive mechanism for mindfulness benefits.
• Findings suggest how mindfulness meditation improves health by regulating negative affect.