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A pilot study investigating changes in neural processing after mindfulness training in elite athletes
Lori Haase1, April C May2, Maryam Falahpour3
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego San Diego, CA, USA ; Veteran's Affairs San Diego Healthcare System San Diego, CA, USA.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience
|September 18, 2015
Summary
Mindfulness training (mPEAK) enhances elite athletes' attention to bodily signals. This intervention increased brain activity in key areas, improving interoceptive awareness and adaptation to stress.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sports Psychology
- Mindfulness Research
Background:
- Elite athletes require optimal attention for competitive performance.
- Mindfulness training may enhance present-moment focus.
- Neural mechanisms underlying mindfulness interventions in athletes are largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if mindfulness training (mPEAK) alters neural activation patterns.
- To examine changes in brain activity during an interoceptive challenge after mPEAK.
Main Methods:
- Pilot study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
- Participants underwent an interoceptive challenge involving loaded breathing.
- Mindful Performance Enhancement, Awareness and Knowledge (mPEAK) intervention was applied.
Main Results:
- Increased self-reported interoceptive awareness, mindfulness, and decreased alexithymia.
- Greater insula and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activation during anticipation and recovery from breathing load.
- Changes in brain activation correlated with mindfulness and alexithymia scores.
- Altered resting-state functional connectivity in specific brain networks.
Conclusions:
- mPEAK training may enhance attention to and neural processing of bodily signals in elite athletes.
- These neural changes could facilitate better adaptation to stressful competitive situations.
- The findings suggest a neural basis for mindfulness benefits in athletic performance.
