A Randomized Controlled Trial of Brief Mindfulness Meditation for Women Undergoing Stereotactic Breast Biopsy

Stereotactic breast biopsy (SBB) is a common, anxiety-producing procedure. Nonpharmacologic methods to manage acute anxiety are needed.

In this single-blind trial, women were recruited before SBB and randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio to a single session of guided mindfulness-based meditation (GM; n = 30), focused breathing (FB; n = 30), or standard care (SC; n = 16). Anxiety and pain were assessed at baseline after a 10-min prebiopsy group-specific activity (GM, FB, or SC), every 4 min during SBB, and after biopsy. Electroencephalographic activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus was collected throughout the study.

Women in the GM group reported a steeper reduction in anxiety than women in the FB and SC groups (P < .001 for all, Cohen's d > 0.4 for all). There were no group differences in pain ratings during the biopsy. Women in the GM group experienced increased beta activity during biopsy in the insula (P = .006, Cohen's d = 1.4) and anterior cingulate cortex (P = .019, Cohen's d = 1.0) compared with women in the SC group, and there was a trend toward the same effect compared with women in the FB group (P < .10 for both). Women in the GM and FB groups experienced a nonsignificant decrease in delta activity in the precuneus during biopsy compared with those in the SC group (P < .40 for both, Cohen's d > 0.6 for both), which was associated with a steeper reduction in anxiety during the biopsy (r = 0.51, P < .01).

Brief, guided meditation may provide effective anxiety relief during an acute medical procedure and affect neuronal activity in regions associated with attention, self-awareness, and emotion regulation.