Cognitive Neuroscience of Cognitive Neuroscience of Mindful emotion regulation Mindful emotion regulation

Dusana Dorjee, Ph.D.Dusana Dorjee, Ph.D.

What is mindfulness?What is mindfulness?

““the awareness that emerges through paying the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145).moment by moment” (Kabat-Zinn, 2003, p. 145).

Mechanisms of mindfulnessMechanisms of mindfulness (Shapiro et al., 2006)(Shapiro et al., 2006)– IntentionIntention– Attentional controlAttentional control– Specific attitude towards experience marked by Specific attitude towards experience marked by

acceptance and friendlinessacceptance and friendliness

Mindfulness and the brainMindfulness and the brainBRAIN BRAIN → MIND→ MIND

- Changes in the brain cause us Changes in the brain cause us to feel happy, sad etc.to feel happy, sad etc.

- Physical changes to the brain Physical changes to the brain induced by medication or induced by medication or surgery change the way we surgery change the way we feelfeel

MIND MIND → BRAIN→ BRAIN

- NeuroplasticityNeuroplasticity - what we do - what we do with our mind influences the with our mind influences the way our brain works and looksway our brain works and looks

- Neurons that fire together wire Neurons that fire together wire together (Hebb)together (Hebb)

- Voluntary mental practice as a Voluntary mental practice as a source of well-beingsource of well-being

From well-being to the brainFrom well-being to the brain

ATTENTION

EMOTIONS

INTENTIONS

REACTIVITY

AWARENESS

THOUGHTS

LANGUAGE

Investigating changes in attention and emotion regulation as a result of mindfulness

AttentionExecutive Function

Emotion Regulation Language

Autonomous Nervous System

Brain structure vs electrophysiologyelectrophysiology

Brain structureBrain structure– Tangible effects on the size

of the brain– Changes relevant to slow-

down in aging

BUT– Difficult to relate to specific

behavior– Delayed or detached from

immediate cognitive processing and behavior

– Sources of the changes in brain structure not clear

ElectrophysiologyElectrophysiology– Electrophysiology - Electrophysiology - an trace

changes in neuronal firing with millisecond accuracy

– Are functionally specific (easier to relate to cognitive function)

BUT– Specific neural sources are

not entirely clear– More difficult to translate into

non-specialist language

EEG measures

Oscillatory electrical activity of the brain measured in microvolts

Oscillation frequency distinguishes EEG frequency bands linked to changes in consciousness

Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness MeditationProduced by Mindfulness Meditation

(Davidson et al., 2003)(Davidson et al., 2003)

ParticipantsParticipants– 25 participants tested before and after 8-week MBSR training25 participants tested before and after 8-week MBSR training– 16 controls 16 controls – Average age 36 (range 23-56)Average age 36 (range 23-56)

TaskTask– Measures of EEG prefrontal Measures of EEG prefrontal αα-asymmetry-asymmetry

Left prefrontal activation – approach-oriented behaviour, Left prefrontal activation – approach-oriented behaviour, positive emotionspositive emotions

Right prefrontal activation – avoidance-oriented behaviour, Right prefrontal activation – avoidance-oriented behaviour, negative emotionsnegative emotions

Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness MeditationProduced by Mindfulness Meditation

(Davidson et al., 2003)(Davidson et al., 2003)

Baseline Baseline EEG prefrontal EEG prefrontal αα--asymmetry at Time 1 and asymmetry at Time 1 and Time 3Time 3

Higher numbers indicate left-Higher numbers indicate left-sided activationsided activation

EEG prefrontal EEG prefrontal αα--asymmetry in response asymmetry in response to negative emotion to negative emotion inductioninduction

Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness MeditationProduced by Mindfulness Meditation

(Davidson et al., 2003)(Davidson et al., 2003)

Antibody rise from the 3- Antibody rise from the 3- to 5-week to the 8- to 9-to 5-week to the 8- to 9-weekweek

Correlation between change in Correlation between change in EEG prefrontal EEG prefrontal αα-asymmetry -asymmetry from Time 1 to Time 2 and rise from Time 1 to Time 2 and rise in antibody titersin antibody titers

Emotion regulation strategies and mindfulnessEmotion regulation strategies and mindfulness(Chambers, Gullone, & Allen, 2009)(Chambers, Gullone, & Allen, 2009)

Basic emotion regulation strategiesBasic emotion regulation strategies– Cognitive reappraisalCognitive reappraisal

Reinterpretation of the cognitive stimulus to modify its Reinterpretation of the cognitive stimulus to modify its emotional impactemotional impact

– SuppressionSuppression conscious inhibition of emotional expression conscious inhibition of emotional expression

Mindfulness and emotion regulationMindfulness and emotion regulation

– Less suppression and some cognitive reappraisalLess suppression and some cognitive reappraisal

– Novel emotion regulation techniques marked by Novel emotion regulation techniques marked by exposure and decrease in ruminationexposure and decrease in rumination

Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect LabelingDuring Affect Labeling(Creswell et al., 2007)(Creswell et al., 2007)

ParticipantsParticipants– 27 right-handed undergraduates27 right-handed undergraduates

Task - Task - Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)

Affect-labeling Gender-labelingAffect-labeling Gender-labeling

Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect LabelingDuring Affect Labeling(Creswell et al., 2007)(Creswell et al., 2007)

Affect labeling > Affect labeling > gender labeling gender labeling contrastcontrast

Amygdala was Amygdala was negatively negatively correlated with correlated with self-reported self-reported mindfulness mindfulness during affect-during affect-labelinglabeling

Minding One’s Emotions: Mindfulness Training Alters the Neural Expression of Sadness

(Farb et al., 2010)

ParticipantsParticipants– 20 participants scanned after 8-week MBSR course20 participants scanned after 8-week MBSR course– 16 waiting list controls16 waiting list controls

TaskTask– Watching a set of sad or neutral clips, 45s longWatching a set of sad or neutral clips, 45s long– Only 8 sad clips and 8 neutral clips!Only 8 sad clips and 8 neutral clips!

Minding One’s Emotions: Mindfulness Training Alters the Neural Expression of Sadness

(Farb et al., 2010)

RedRed – MT > Control, – MT > Control, BlueBlue – Control > MT – Control > MT Increased activation in somatosensory cortex in the Increased activation in somatosensory cortex in the

MBSR groupMBSR group

Effects of MBSR on Emotion Regulation in Social Anxiety Disorder

(Goldin & Gross)

ParticipantsParticipants– 14 participants with social anxiety disorder (SAD)14 participants with social anxiety disorder (SAD)

Intense fear of evaluation in social and performance situationsIntense fear of evaluation in social and performance situations

TaskTask– 18 anxiety-related 18 anxiety-related

self-beliefsself-beliefs– E.g. ‘People always E.g. ‘People always

judge me’judge me’– Responded to with Responded to with

breath or distraction breath or distraction focused attention (A)focused attention (A)

– Counting control task Counting control task (B)(B)

Effects of MBSR on Emotion Regulation in Social Anxiety Disorder

(Goldin & Gross)

Improvement in anxiety and depression symptomsImprovement in anxiety and depression symptoms Reduced amygdala activity and stronger recruitment with attention-Reduced amygdala activity and stronger recruitment with attention-

related regionsrelated regions

Mindfulness practice results in an immediate Mindfulness practice results in an immediate cortisol drop cortisol drop (Dorjee et al.)(Dorjee et al.)

Effects on N400 as a marker of emotion regulation (Dorjee et al)

ms-100.0 150.0 400.0 650.0 900.0

µV 0.0

0.8

1.5

2.3

3.0

-0.8

-1.5

-2.3

-3.0

Related-PreUnrelated-PreRelated-PostUnrelated-Post

N400P6

Dispositional Mindfulness effects on Dispositional Mindfulness effects on semantic processing (Dorjee et al)semantic processing (Dorjee et al)

Correlating mindfulness with semantic Correlating mindfulness with semantic congruency effect (N=20, r=-0.49, p<0.05)congruency effect (N=20, r=-0.49, p<0.05)

Overall Summary Mindfulness practice improves the intricate

balance between systems of attention, emotion and language

Specifically– It improves the ability to direct attention at will and in this

way supports emotion regulation– It teaches new emotion regulation strategies that are

very fast and effective in coping with challenging stimuli as they enter our field of attention

– Mindfulness results in long-term changes in trait positive affect

– Long term practice of mindfulness leads to the ability to decrease the reactivity of the autonomous nervous system with immediate effects on stress-related hormone production (cortisol)

Thanks to collaborators

Guillaume Thierry Emeka Enwesor Shantha Perera Jesslyn Becker Aaron Jolly John Parkinson Jon Darrall-Rew Niall Lally And all research participants!

THANK YOUTHANK YOU