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Updated: May 20, 2026
Combining Behavior and EEG to Study the Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Episodic Memory
Published on: May 11, 2020
Effect of meditation on clinical symptoms and gray matter volume in chronic schizophrenia: a randomized controlled
Mi Yang1,2,3, Yuzheng Ma4, Jialong Huang4
1Department of Science Research Management, The Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu, No.8 Huli-West First-Alley, Jinniu District, Chengdu, 610036, China. 565136170@qq.com.
Background:
The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of meditation therapy in patients with schizophrenia remain poorly understood, therefore, we aim to investigate the relationship between clinical symptoms and the structural changes in brain gray matter in a meditation intervention trial.
Methods:
Han inpatients with schizophrenia admitted to the Shanghai First Civil Affairs Mental Health Centre in 2018 were recruited and randomly assigned to the meditation (Med) or the conventional (CON) treatment group in an eight-months trial. MRI data was collected at the outset, three months, and eight months of treatment.
Results:
Fifty-eight male subjects completed all evaluations and MRI scans, including 30 in Med and 28 in CON. The findings indicate that meditation can significantly inhibit the extensive regional atrophy of gray matter volume (GMV). A positive correlation was observed between the GMV change rate in the right thalamus and the reduction rate of PANSS positive score (r = 0.3850, p = 0.0028), negative score (r = 0.3789, p = 0.0034) and total score (r = 0.3705, p = 0.0042); The GMV change rate in right insula was positively correlated with PANSS positive score (r = 0.2976, p = 0.0233), negative score (r = 0.3987, p = 0.0019), general score (r = 0.3216, p = 0.0138) and total score (r = 0.3765, p = 0.0035). Additionally, the GMV change rate in the right supplementary motor area was positively correlated with negative scores (r = 0.3633, p = 0.0051). while the right paracentral lobule positively correlated with PANSS general score (r = 0.2791, p = 0.0338).
Conclusion:
These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of meditation in chronic schizophrenia and suggest it as a promising method for the alleviation of clinical symptoms in schizophrenia.
