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Parental caregivers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities often experience  high levels of stress, and growing empirical evidence suggests that mindfulness training programs can help reduce this burden. Research in this population frequently employs the Be Mindful program, an asynchronous, individually accessed online mindfulness course based on Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). However, online mindfulness programs, commonly face challenges in retaining participants through course completion. Coupling online programs with individual peer-mentor telephone support may enhance their effectiveness. 

Murray et al. [Journal of Intellectual Disability Research] implemented a pre-post intervention design to evaluate the feasibility of coupling the Be Mindful program with additional peer support for parent and adult sibling caregivers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The study also examined the program’s association with changes in participant reported well-being

The researchers recruited 101 British family caregivers (58% parents, 43% siblings; 85% female; average age = 44 years old; 81% white; 66% below UK median income) of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. They placed particular emphasis on enrolling participants from previously understudied groups, including sibling caregivers and caregivers from low socioeconomic status or ethnic minority backgrounds.

In this single-group observational trial, participants were offered the Be Mindful program, which consisted of 10 online sessions,12 homework assignments, and 6 course handouts. The program contained all core elements of MBCT but was delivered in an individual online format rather than a group setting. It also emphasized on cultivating wellness rather than alleviating depression.

Participants were also offered three 30-minute peer-support telephone calls that provided encouragement and guidance. Peer mentors were family caregivers who had previously completed the Be Mindful course and a 1.5-day virtual training workshop. These mentors were compensated, provided with a structured manual to follow, and given access to an online peer group for support.

The primary outcome was a seven-item self-rated mental well-being scale (Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale) administered at baseline and 12 weeks. 

Of the 101 participants who began the study, six withdrew before follow-up assessment, 37 completed the full course, and 36 completed the post-intervention assessment. Only 49% of participants received all three peer-support phone calls due to cancellations or failure to answer. Those who completed post-intervention assessment were observed to have a significant within-group increase in psychological well-being scores (Cohen’s d=0.91) from pre- to post-survey. 

The study suggests that while the Be Mindful program can benefit well-being among those who complete it, most caregivers of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities do not finish the program, even when additional peer support is provided. Furthermore, the majority of participating parents were mothers, with few fathers represented.

Given the low completion and engagement rates, the feasibility of this approach is questionable. The study was also limited by the absence of a comparison group.

Reference:

Murray, C. A., Hayden, N. K., Gordon-Brown, A., ... Hastings, R. P. (2025). Implementation of Online Mindfulness With Peer Mentoring for Parent and Sibling Carers of People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. 

Link to study

Patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) experience repetitive intrusive thoughts and feel compelled to engage in ritualistic behaviors to reduce anxiety. Treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that combines exposure therapy and response prevention can alleviate some symptoms. Yet treatment failure rates remain high (40-60%), and complete remission is rare.

Adjunctive Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) may be beneficial by helping patients observe their obsessive thoughts without becoming emotionally disturbed by them. 

OCD is increasingly characterized as a brain-based disorder involving dysfunctional neural pathways. Functional connectivity studies with OCD patients have shown both hyperconnectivity and hypoconnectivity in regions associated with threat monitoring and executive control. These are areas of the brain where MBCT has been shown to alter functional connectivity in nonclinical populations. 

Serra-Blasco et al. [Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics] conducted a randomized single-blind controlled trial to examine the clinical and neuropsychological effects of adjunctive MBCT in patients with OCD.

The researchers randomly assigned 68 Spanish patients with OCD (average age = 39; 54% female) who had previously undergone SSRI and CBT treatment without remission to either MBCT plus treatment-as-usual or treatment-as-usual alone. MBCT was adapted for patients with OCD and consisted of eight weekly group sessions emphasizing present-moment awareness, challenging irrational beliefs, accepting thoughts and emotions without judgment, promoting self-care, and using mindfulness skills to manage difficult emotions. Treatment-as usual consisted of continued SSRI treatment. 

Participants were assessed before and after treatment using the clinician-rated Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the self-rated Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R). Forty-four of the patients also underwent fMRI brain scanning to assess resting-state functional connectivity at both time points. Psychologists administering the Y-BOCS and conducting the fMRI scans were masked to group assignment. The study retention rate was 67%.

Results showed that the MBCT group had a 32% reduction in Y-BOCS scores, compared to an 8% reduction in the control group (Cohen’s d=1.05). Clinician-rated remission (≥50% improvement) was achieved by 25% of the MBCT group and 4% of the control group. No group differences were detected on the self-reported OCI-R, and MBCT did not produce identifiable changes in resting-state functional connectivity compared to controls. 

However, baseline functional connectivity patterns predicted treatment response. Greater connectivity between the cuneus and ventral default mode network predicted poorer outcomes, whereas lower connectivity between the lower left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex within the  salience network predicted greater improvement. Reduced connectivity in the right pallidum and thalamus also predicted greater clinical improvement.

The study demonstrates that adjunctive MBCT can increase clinician-rated symptom improvement and remission rates in OCD compared to usual care with SSRIs. Although MBCT did not alter brain functional connectivity after treatment, baseline brain networks predicted clinical outcomes. Patients with lower baseline OCD severity were less likely to complete self-report measures, and this, combined with the small sample size, may have reduced power to detect self-reported changes. Because all participants were taking SSRIs and had prior CBT, these treatments may have already influenced neural connectivity, potentially obscuring MBCT-related effects.

Reference:

Serra-Blasco, M., Miquel-Giner, N., Vicent-Gil, M., ... López-Solà, C. (2025). Clinical and Neuroimaging Effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Symptomatic OCD Patients after First-Line Treatments: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics. 

Link to study

Historical results for school-based mindfulness programs originally appeared promising, but recent large-scale school-based interventions in Great Britain and Denmark have failed to demonstrate significant mental health benefits. The reason for these underperforming outcomes remains unclear: were these programs poorly designed or implemented, are mandatory programs for general student populations inherently ineffective, or are non-clinical populations simply less responsive to mindfulness training?

Volanen et al. [Psychology in Schools] examined the effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness program, closely aligned with the British and Danish interventions, in reducing stress and promoting self-kindness among middle school students.

The researchers enlisted 56 schools in southern Finland for the study, randomly selecting several classes within each school to one of three conditions: receiving a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), a relaxation intervention, or no treatment. A total of 210 classes participated, comprising over 3,500 sixth- through eighth-grade students (51% girls).

The MBI closely resembled the programs used in the prior British and Danish school-based studies. It consisted of nine weekly 45-minute sessions accompanied by brief (3-15 minute) daily homework exercises. Classroom lessons focused on understanding mindfulness, anchoring attention in the body, recognizing worry, responding rather than reacting, practicing mindful movement, relating to thoughts, and managing difficult emotions. The relaxation program was matched in frequency and duration, emphasizing progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, and visualization. 

Students were assessed on self-reported stress symptoms and self-kindness at baseline, post-intervention, and 26-week follow-up. Stress was measured using a 20-item self-rated perceived stress scale, and self-kindness was measured using the Self-Kindness subscale of Neff’s Self-Compassion Scale. At follow-up, students also reported how frequently they continued mindfulness practice on their own after intervention completion.

The results showed that the MBI group had significantly lowered average perceived stress scores compared to the relaxation group immediately after the intervention (d=-0.29) and at 26-week follow-up (d=-0.28). There were no group differences in stress between MBI and no-treatment participants. There were no group differences in self-kindness.

Findings from this large trial of over 200 school classes suggest a slight reduction in average perceived stress associated with a nine-week MBI training program compared to a relaxation program. The no-treatment control group was much smaller than the active groups, which may have reduced statistical power to detect group contrasts. Moreover, baseline stress levels were low, perhaps leaving little room for measurable improvement by self-report.

A key difference between this study and the British and Danish trials is that its primary outcome was perceived stress rather than mental health or well-being. School-based mindfulness programs may therefore be more effective at reducing stress than at improving overall mental health.

Nonetheless, this represents the third large-scale study to show only modest benefits for students participating in universal, school-based mindfulness classes. It remains possible that mindfulness interventions are more effective when individuals voluntarily seek them out to address personal challenges, rather than when they are delivered as compulsory classroom activities.

Reference:

Volanen, S.-M., Holopainen, M., Lahti, J., Vahlberg, T., & Hintsanen, M. (2025). The Healthy Learning Mind Project: Does a Universal Mindfulness Programme Reduce Stress Symptoms and Increase Self-Kindness Among Adolescents in Schools? Psychology in the Schools.

Link to study

Over one-third of older adults report feeling lonely, and loneliness is a stronger predictor of mortality than smoking, physical inactivity, or obesity. It also increases the risk of numerous adverse outcomes, including dementia, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and suicide. Psychosocial interventions that simply increase the frequency of social contact are often ineffective. It may be more important to target the psychological factors that make social interactions feel unrewarding.

Mindfulness-based interventions may help alleviate loneliness by promoting acceptance of difficult emotions and increasing awareness of habitual reactive patterns within the context of social life. 

Dutcher et al. [Journal of Gerontology: Series B] tested the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in reducing loneliness among older adults in two controlled studies. One study compared MBSR to a waitlist control, and another compared MBSR with a Health Enhancement Program (HEP), a standard active comparator often used in behavioral trials.

In the first study, the researchers randomly assigned 219 older adults (average age = 73 years; 62% female; 98% White) to MBSR or a waitlist control. The MBSR program followed the standard 8-week curriculum of two-hour weekly group sessions, a 7-hour retreat, and 45 minutes of daily home practice. Loneliness was assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 6-month follow-up using the 7-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, which asks participants to rate how lonely they felt in the past month on a four-point Likert scale.

In the second study, 190 older adults (average age = 70 years; 78% female; 85% White) who reported moderate loneliness on a short version of the UCLA Loneliness Scale were randomly assigned to MBSR or HEP. MBSR followed the same format as in Study 1. HEP matched MBSR in duration, frequency of meetings, and homework assignments. HEP content emphasized strength, balance, flexibility, aerobic exercise, nutrition, and managing emotions through writing and music. Loneliness in this study was assessed with the full 20-item UCLA Loneliness Scale, and follow-up occurred at 3 months rather than 6.

In the first study, there were no significant group differences immediately after the intervention, but by the 6-month follow-up, the MBSR group had a significant reduction in average loneliness scores compared with waitlist controls. Score improvements were small, decreasing from 12.4 to 11.9 in the MBSR group and remaining unchanged at 11.9 in the control group.

In the second study, both groups showed significant decreases in average loneliness scores from baseline to post-treatment and from post-treatment to follow-up, with no significant differences between groups. MBSR scores declined from 43.1 to 39.8 and HEP scores declined from 41.7 to 38.6 from baseline to follow-up. 

Both groups also demonstrated increased mindfulness scores on the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire over time, though with null between-group differences. While higher mindfulness scores correlated with lower loneliness at one time point, mindfulness and loneliness change scores were not correlated.

Overall, findings from two studies suggest that MBSR and the general health promotion program (HEP) each led to small reductions in self-reported loneliness scores among older adults. These improvements emerged or persisted three to six months after the intervention, indicating that simply receiving structured attention within a research study may partly or fully account for the observed effects.

The specific mechanisms for these modest improvements remain uncertain, including whether they stem from shared group experiences or from distinct components of each intervention.  

Reference:

Dutcher, J. M., Brown, K. W., Lindsay, E. K., Greco, C. M., Wright, A. G. C., Gallegos, A. M., Heffner, K. L., & Creswell, J. D. (2025). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Loneliness in Older Adults: Two Randomized Controlled Trials. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B. 

Link to study

How much meditation practice is needed before meaningful, lasting change occurs? This is an important question because newer mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), such as meditation apps, often rely on less intensive practice than traditional in-person interventions. 

Bowles & Van Dam [Applied Psychology: Health & Wellbeing] conducted a longitudinal analysis examining dose-response relationships between meditation practice and wellbeing in meditators with varied personality types and practice histories.

Participants were 1,052 meditators (average age = 47 years; 69% female; average lifetime meditation practice = 1,172 hours) from Australia (50%), North America (27%), and Europe (19%). Volunteering participants were drawn from an earlier cross-sectional study of 1,668 meditators recruited from online forums, social media platforms, and meditation communities.

Data were collected in two phases: In the first 8-week phase, participants completed weekly surveys about their meditation practice. In the second phase, participants were recontacted 3 to 4 years later and asked to complete another survey. 

Only 578 participants from the original sample completed the later survey. Those who continued into Phase 2 tended to be older, more experienced, and to report greater baseline wellbeing and conscientiousness. Measures included practice frequency and duration, goals, personality traits, and self-reported outcomes (life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and distress).

Observational results suggested that both lifetime meditation experience and recent practice dose statistically predicted lower distress and greater life satisfaction. Clinically meaningful improvements were estimated at 25 meditation hours per month for life satisfaction, 41 hours per month for positive affect, 18 hours per month for negative affect, and 33 hours per month for distress. Practice frequency was generally a stronger predictor of benefit than practice session length, although time spent sitting contributed modestly to higher life satisfaction and lower negative affect. 

Meditators with higher baseline negative emotionality benefited most in terms of reduced distress and negative affect. Over time, greater cumulative practice also predicted a higher valuation of spiritual growth as a practice goal.

The longitudinal observation of self-selected meditators over time suggests dose-dependent benefits of meditation on wellness outcomes in a large sample of meditators. The amount of practice time needed for improvement seems consistent with practice times suggested in 8-week MBI programs modeled after Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), but exceeds the amount of practice typically involved in app-based programs.

Limitations of the study include the absence of random assignment to different meditation practice doses, differences in the composition of the retained sample, and reliance on self-reported practice amounts. 

Reference:

Bowles, N. I., & Van Dam, N. T. (2025). Dose–response effects of reported meditation practice on mental-health and wellbeing: A prospective longitudinal study. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being.

Link to study

Children with epilepsy and their families face the stress of unpredictable seizures, frequent cognitive, psychiatric, and behavioral comorbidities, and the challenges of treatment. Anxiety and depression are known to reduce the effectiveness of antiepileptic drugs and surgery, making it important to address stress and coping in children with epilepsy and their families.

Research on older children and adults with chronic illnesses suggests that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can improve quality of life and reduce stress. 

Tassiopoulos et al [Pediatrics Open Science] conducted a randomized, controlled pilot study of an MBI to evaluate its efficacy on quality of life for young children with epilepsy.

The researchers enrolled 72 Canadian parents (94% female) and their 4-10 year-old children (average age = 8 years; 58% male). Families having a child with epilepsy were randomly assigned to an MBI called Making Mindfulness Matter or a waitlist control.

Making Mindfulness Matter was delivered online in eight weekly synchronous group sessions: 1.5 hours for parents (focused on mindful parenting) and separate 1-hour session for children (focusing on age-appropriate mindfulness skills). Topics included the stress response, mindful awareness of breathing, thinking, sensing, and movement, responding rather than reacting, perspective-taking, and cultivating optimism, gratitude, and kindness.

Children were assigned either a 4-6 year-old group or a 6-10 year-old to ensure age appropriateness of content. All children continued to receive standard pediatric neurological care.

The primary outcome was parent-reported total scores on the 55-item Quality of Life in Childhood Epilepsy (QOLCE) questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included cognitive, emotional, social, and physical QOLCE subscale scores. A 10-point improvement on the QOLCE total score was defined as a minimal clinically important difference. Parents completed the QOLCE at baseline and one week post-treatment; intervention group parents also completed it at a 10-week follow-up. 

Results showed no significant group differences in QOLCE total scores at baseline. At post-treatment, the MBI group of children had an average 7-point higher QOLCE total score than the control group (d=0.40). Clinically important improvement was observed in 28% of children in the MBI group compared with 3% of controls. Subscale analyses showed advantages for the MBI group at post-treatment of 12 points in cognitive functioning, 6 points in emotional functioning, and 5 points in social functioning. 

The average post-treatment total QOLCE score for the MBI group of children was 5 points higher than their baseline, and at 10-week follow-up, that difference had declined to 4 points higher, suggesting some fading of benefit over time.

The pilot findings initially suggest that Making Mindfulness Matter may offer moderate short-term benefits to young children with epilepsy by improving overall quality of life. Benefits appeared to diminish at ten weeks.

Study limitations include the lack of child-reported or objective outcome measures, the absence of an active time-matched control, and a sample size that was smaller than planned due to recruitment challenges. Further, there was no follow-up in the control group.

Reference:

Tassiopoulos, K. N., Puka, K., Bax, K., Secco, M., Andrade, A., DeVries-Rizzo, M., Franklin, M., Gangam, H., Levin, S., Nouri, M. N., Prasad, A. N., Spinelli, E., Zou, G., Vingilis, E., & Nixon Speechley, K. (2025). Making Mindfulness Matter© May Improve Quality of Life in Young Children With Epilepsy: Pilot RCT. Pediatrics Open Science. 

Link to study

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are typically treated with immunosuppressant medication and surgery. These conditions cause both physical symptoms (abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea) and mental distress (anxiety, depression, fatigue). Because distress can worsen disease progression, mindfulness training has been proposed as an adjunctive treatment to reduce illness burden.

Previous research on mindfulness training for IBD has yielded mixed results and has rarely included objective measures of symptom-related sleep disturbance. ter Avest et al. [Inflammatory Bowel Diseases] examined the effects of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) versus treatment-as-usual (TAU) on mental and physical health symptoms in IBD patients, incorporating objective assessments of disease severity and sleep.

In this randomized controlled trial, researchers assigned 142 Dutch adults (average age = 49 years; 64% female) with IBD in remission and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores ≥11 to TAU alone or TAU plus MBCT. The MBCT program consisted of eight weekly 150-minute group sessions, a retreat day, and regular home practice. TAU consisted of medication and surgical interventions following Dutch and European treatment guidelines. Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and 6-,9-, and 12-month follow-ups, including self-report of distress and disease severity, as well as stool samples for fecal calprotectin (a marker of intestinal inflammation). 

Sleep quality was objectively assessed at baseline and post-intervention using three consecutive nights of home EEG recordings. The primary outcome was HADS score; while secondary outcomes included total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, and wake after sleep onset. 

By post-intervention, the MBCT group had significantly greater reductions in HADS distress scores than the TAU group (d=-0.61). MBCT showed reduced total sleep time (d=-0.67) and increased deep sleep proportion (d=0.70) compared with TAU. Improvements in HADS scores in the MBCT group persisted throughout the 12-month study period but were no longer statistically significant at 12 months because the TAU group showed gradual improvement over the follow period. At 12 months, the MBCT group had significantly decreased fecal calprotectin levels compared to TAU (d=-0.49).

This trial demonstrates that MBCT can reduce distress in IBD patients for up to a year and may increase the proportion of deep sleep without extending total sleep time. However, the study was limited by technical issues with EEG recordings which prevented complete sleep assessments for all participants. Seventy of the 142 randomized participants provided usable EEG data at baseline and 56 provided useable data at post-intervention without a between-groups difference in usable data. The lack of correlation between fecal calprotectin levels and disease improvement may reflect the selection of IBD patients in remission with a low incidence of flares. Although MBCT reduced mean HADS scores from 16.4 to 11.6, post-intervention averages remained above the threshold for clinical concern.

Reference:

ter Avest, M. M., Huijbers, M. J., Horjus, C. S., ... Speckens, A. E. M. (2025). Group-Delivered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy to Reduce Psychological Distress and Improve Sleep in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (MindIBD). Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Link to study

Researchers are increasingly using advanced tools to study complex biological systems, such as the epigenetics of thousands of genes or the diversity of gut microbiome species. Mass spectrometry, for example, can measure thousands of metabolites in a single blood sample.

While prior mindfulness research has examined its effects on neurotransmitters, stress hormones, and inflammatory markers, no prior study has explored its influence on the broader metabolome, which is the full range of metabolites possibly affecting mental and physiological health. 

Tang et al. [Scientific Reports] compared Integrative Mind-Body Training (IMBT), an adapted form of mindfulness training, with relaxation training (RT) to assess their relative impact on serum metabolites.

The researchers randomly assigned 42 meditation-naïve healthy adults (mean age = 54 years; 86% female; 88% White) to either IMBT or relaxation training. Both interventions consisted of 10 one-hour group sessions. IMBT combined gentle stretching postures aimed at cultivating presence, balance, and a calm, alert, and effortless open awareness. Relaxation training used progressive muscle relaxation to promote physical and mental calmness.

Fasting blood samples were collected before and after the intervention period, then analyzed via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Changes in 923 serum metabolites were tested with paired t-tests.

The results showed the IMBT group had significant within-group changes in 13 metabolites related to carbon, amino acid, and lipid metabolism, with amino acid and lipid metabolites increasing and many sulfur metabolites decreasing. The RT group showed no within-group changes that reached statistical significance. Post-intervention comparisons revealed 106 metabolites, particularly glycine-related amino acid metabolites, differed significantly between groups. 

These exploratory findings suggest IMBT might affect the metabolome more than progressive muscle relaxation training. The changes detected in relation to IMBT may have clinical relevance given that glycine has been implicated in Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, stress, depression, cortical excitability, memory, and cognition. Further, the lowering of sulfate levels may be important as sulfates are implicated in cognitive dysfunction and dementia.

The study is limited by its small, mostly female sample, and its reliance on multiple unadjusted t-tests, which makes it vulnerable to identifying untrue associations. 

Reference:

Tang, Y.-Y., Patterson, J. S., Tang, R., Chi, J., Ho, N. B. P., Sears, D. D., & Gu, H. (2025). Metabolomic profiles impacted by brief mindfulness intervention with contributions to improved health. Scientific Reports. 

Link to study

Overuse of medication for chronic migraines can lead to medication overuse headaches, a paradoxical condition in which the medications intended to relieve migraines actually contribute to their persistence. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown some efficacy as a non-pharmacological adjunctive treatment for migraines and may help reduce reliance on medication.

Recent studies have advanced knowledge of how mindfulness may influence the biology underlying migraine headaches. One study found MBIs can alter functional connectivity between the brain’s salience network, insula, and sensorimotor facial area—regions associated with pain perception and appraisal.

Other studies suggest MBIs may affect serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene epigenetics or help normalize serotonin levels. These findings are relevant because serotonin and dopamine play key roles in migraine pathophysiology. However, no studies had previously examined the relationship between changes in brain functional connectivity and changes in neurotransmitter system activity. 

Fedeli et al. [Cephalgia] investigated changes in brain functional connectivity associated with serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine receptors in chronic migraine patients with medication overuse headaches who participated in a mindfulness training or control group. 

The researchers randomly assigned 34 Italian chronic migraine headache patients with medication overuse headaches (average age=50 years; 88% female) to either a treatment as usual (TAU) control or TAU+MBI. The control condition involved withdrawal from overused medications, prescription of antidepressant or neuromodulator medications, and education on healthy lifestyle.

The MBI consisted of six weekly 90-minute guided sessions involving body scan and attention to breath and bodily sensations. From the third session onward, MBI participants were instructed to engage in audio recording-guided home practice 7 to 10 minutes daily. 

Patients underwent resting state fMRI brain scans at baseline and one year follow-up. Neurotransmitter-specific functional connectivity maps were generated using open-source PET scan data from healthy participants to approximate serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine receptor systems.

At one-year follow-up, both treatment groups showed significant clinical improvement, but the TAU+MBI group improved significantly more than TAU. The TAU group had a reduced average headache frequency from 19 to 11 per month compared to a change from 20 to 8 per month in the TAU+MBI group.

At baseline, there were no group differences in neurotransmitter systems. After one year, the TAU+MBI group exhibited a larger increase in connectivity in serotonergic systems in the caudate and accumbens nuclei than the TAU group. Additionally, the TAU+MBI group displayed a relatively greater degree of increased functional connectivity in dopaminergic systems in the right insular cortex compared to the TAU group. However, these brain changes were not significantly correlated with the degree of clinical improvement.

The early pilot study suggests that a mindfulness training program can be associated with reduced headache frequency in patients with medication overuse headaches and can correlate with brain connectivity in serotonin and dopamine receptor systems. These systems are involved in processes such as pain perception, reward, addiction, and emotional regulation.

Nevertheless, the study should be considered preliminary due to its small sample size and reliance on neurotransmitter receptor maps derived from healthy individuals rather than direct PET scans of the study participants themselves.

Reference:

Fedeli, D., Ciullo, G., Demichelis, G., Medina Carrion, J. P., Bruzzone, M. G., Ciusani, E., Erbetta, A., Ferraro, S., Grisoli, M., Guastafierro, E., Montisano, D. A., D’Amico, D., Raggi, A., Nigri, A., & Grazzi, L. (2025). Neurotransmitter-related functional connectivity changes in serotonin and dopamine systems after mindfulness in medication overuse headache. Cephalalgia.

Link to study

Cancer patients often experience a reduced quality of life due to symptoms such as anxiety, stress, depression, fatigue, pain, and sleep disturbances. Mind-body therapies like Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) and Tai Chi/Qigong have been shown to alleviate distress, but little is known about their comparative efficacy. Additionally, it remains unclear whether allowing patients to choose their preferred treatment leads to better outcomes than assigning them randomly. 

Carlson et al. [Journal of Clinical Oncology] compared the efficacy of MBCR and Tai Chi/Qigong and examined whether treatment outcomes differ between patients who receive their preferred treatment and those who are randomly assigned by study protocol.

The researchers enrolled 587 cancer patients (average age=61 years; 75% female) from two Canadian cancer treatment centers. The most common diagnoses were breast, prostate, and gastrointestinal cancers, and half were in early disease stages 0-II. At baseline, 64% of participants expressed a preference for one of the available treatments. Those who expressed a treatment preference were assigned to their chosen intervention but were randomly assigned to begin immediately or be placed on a waitlist. Patients without a preference were randomly assigned to either immediate or waitlisted MBCR or Tai Chi/Qigong. 

The MBCR program followed the structure that was similar to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, consisting of  nine weekly 105-minute group sessions and a six-hour retreat. The Tai Chi/Qigong program involved 11 weekly 90-minute sessions and a 4-hour retreat. It incorporated the Cheng Man Ching Yang-style short form of Tai Chi and emphasized flowing movements, breath and body awareness, focused attention, and imagery. Both treatments recommended 30 to 40 minutes of daily home practice. 

Participants completed assessments of mood at baseline and after the intervention using the Profile of Mood States. The primary outcome included a total mood score and subscale scores for tension-anxiety, depression, anger-hostility, vigor-activity, fatigue, and confusion.

Results showed that the MBCR group, including both those assigned to their preferred treatment and those randomized, showed significantly reduced total mood scores compared to MBCR waitlist controls (d=0.44). The Tai Chi/Qigong group (also combined) showed reduced total mood scores (d=0.25) compared to Tai Chi/Qigong waitlist controls; this effect was significant in the as-treated analysis but only trended toward significance in the intention-to-treat analysis.

There was no significant difference in the overall size of improvement in total mood scores between the group assigned to their preferred treatment and those randomly assigned. 

When comparing the two treatment groups, Tai Chi/Qigong produced greater improvements in vigor-activity and greater reductions in anger-hostility and depression. MBCR was more effective in reducing tension-anxiety. The effect sizes of group contrast for subscale improvements were in the small-to-moderate range. For example, the effect sizes for differences between active and waitlisted treatments on vigor-activity for randomized participants ranged from d=0.24 to d=0.53. Similar differences for depression ranged from d=0.37 to 0.40.

This large trial shows that both MBCR and Tai Chi/Qigong treatments modestly improved mood in cancer patients, regardless of whether participants received their preferred treatment or were randomly assigned by the research protocol.

Notably, because no patient was assigned to a treatment they did not prefer (those with a preference received it, and those without preference were randomized), this study did not assess the impact of being assigned to a non-preferred treatment. This design feature may account for the difference between these findings and previous studies suggesting that patient preference influences treatment effectiveness.

Reference:

Carlson, L. E., Jones, J. M., Oberoi, D., Piedalue, K.-A., Wayne, P. M., Santa Mina, D., Lawal, O. A., & Speca, M. (2025). Mindfulness and Tai Chi for Cancer Health (MATCH) Study: Primary Outcomes of a Preference-Based Multisite Randomized Comparative Effectiveness Trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 

Link to study