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The effect of mindfulness-based intervention on neurobehavioural functioning and its association with white-matter
Vanessa Siffredi1,2,3,4, Maria Chiara Liverani5,6, Dimitri Van De Ville5,7,8
1Division of Development and Growth, Department of Paediatrics, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. vanessa.siffredi@unige.ch.
Insights
Mindfulness-based intervention improved executive functions in very preterm adolescents. These improvements correlated with increased white-matter integrity, particularly in those born earliest.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Very preterm (VPT) adolescents face executive, behavioral, and socio-emotional challenges.
- Mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) show promise in improving these neurobehavioral outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between MBI-induced neurobehavioral changes and white-matter microstructure alterations in VPT young adolescents.
- To explore how MBI affects brain development in this vulnerable population.
Main Methods:
- 32 VPT young adolescents completed an 8-week MBI program.
- Neurobehavioral assessments (neuropsychological tests, questionnaires) and multi-shell diffusion MRI (DTI, NODDI) were conducted pre- and post-intervention.
- Partial least squares correlation analysis linked neurobehavioral and microstructural changes.
Main Results:
- MBI enhanced global executive functioning, as reported by parents.
- This enhancement was associated with increased fractional anisotropy (FA) and decreased neurite orientation dispersion (ODI) in relevant white-matter tracts.
- Lower gestational age at birth predicted greater white-matter microstructural improvements post-MBI.
Conclusions:
- MBI positively impacts neurobehavioral functioning and white-matter microstructure in VPT adolescents.
- The findings suggest MBI may promote brain maturation and functional recovery in this population.
- Gestational age is a key factor influencing MBI's neuroplastic effects in VPT individuals.
Abstract:
Very preterm (VPT) young adolescents are at high risk of executive, behavioural and socio-emotional difficulties. Previous research has shown significant evidence of the benefits of mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on these abilities. This study aims to assess the association between the effects of MBI on neurobehavioral functioning and changes in white-matter microstructure in VPT young adolescents who completed an 8-week MBI program. Neurobehavioural assessments (i.e., neuropsychological testing, parents- and self-reported questionnaires) and multi-shell diffusion MRI were performed before and after MBI in 32 VPT young adolescents. Combined diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) measures were extracted on well-defined white matter tracts (TractSeg). A multivariate data-driven approach (partial least squares correlation) was used to explore associations between MBI-related changes on neurobehavioural measures and microstructural changes. The results showed an enhancement of global executive functioning using parent-reported questionnaire after MBI that was associated with a general pattern of increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) and decrease in axonal dispersion (ODI) in white-matter tracts involved in executive processes. Young VPT adolescents with lower gestational age at birth showed the greatest gain in white-matter microstructural changes after MBI.
