Resting-state fMRI functional connectivity and mindfulness in clinical and non-clinical contexts: A review and synthesis

Abstract

This review synthesizes relations between mindfulness and resting-state fMRI functional connectivity of brain networks. Mindfulness is characterized by present-moment awareness and experiential acceptance, and relies on attention control, self-awareness, and emotion regulation. We integrate studies of functional connectivity and (1) trait mindfulness and (2) mindfulness meditation interventions. Mindfulness is related to functional connectivity in the default mode (DMN), frontoparietal (FPN), and salience (SN) networks. Specifically, mindfulness-mediated functional connectivity changes include (1) increased connectivity between posterior cingulate cortex (DMN) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (FPN), which may relate to attention control; (2) decreased connectivity between cuneus and SN, which may relate to self-awareness; (3) increased connectivity between rostral anterior cingulate cortex region and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMN) and decreased connectivity between rostral anterior cingulate cortex region and amygdala region, both of which may relate to emotion regulation; and lastly, (4) increased connectivity between dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (SN) and anterior insula (SN) which may relate to pain relief. While further study of mindfulness is needed, neural signatures of mindfulness are emerging.

Keywords: Anterior cingulate cortex; Attention control; Cuneus; Default mode network; Emotion regulation; Frontoparietal network; Functional connectivity; MBSR; Meditation; Mindfulness; Posterior cingulate cortex; Resting-state fMRI; Salience network; Self-awareness.

Fig. 1.

Results illustrating decreased cuneus-SN connectivity in non-meditating participants. Studies explored connectivity changes (A) correlated to trait mindfulness using ICA (Bilevicius et al., 2018); (B) after an MBSR-based training using a dACC seed (Yang et al., 2016); and (C) after an MBSR training using ICA (Kilpatrick et al., 2011).

Fig. 2.

Visual rendering of the Default Mode Network (DMN; blue), Frontoparietal Network (FPN; green) and Salience Network (SN; violet) and their functional connectivity changes mediated by mindfulness. Studies describe increased rsFC between the PCC (DMN) and dlPFC (FPN) as well as decreased cuneus – SN connectivity. Those changes are hypothesized to be respectively linked to improved self-awareness and improved attention control. Created with BioRender.com. Abbreviations: dACC = dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, mPFC = medial prefrontal cortex, PCC = posterior cingulate cortex, aINS = anterior insula, dlPFC = dorsal prefrontal cortex, IPL = inferior parietal lobule.

Fig. 3.

Results illustrating increased mindfulness training-related PCC-dlPFC connectivity. Studies used (A) PCC for DMN seed in chronically stressed population after a 3-day retreat (Creswell et al., 2016), (B) PCC for DMN seed in a PTSD-affected population after a MBCT training (King et al., 2016) and (C) PCC for DMN and dlPFC for FPN seeds in undiagnosed participants after an MBSR training, correlated to attention scores (Kral et al., 2019)

Fig. 4.

Summary of findings involving pain relief and limbic system remodulation mediated by mindfulness. Studies describe increased dACC-aINS connectivity by mindfulness, hypothesized to be linked to pain processing regulation, as well as increased sgACC-dmPFC connectivity and decreased sgACC-amygdala connectivity. These changes within the limbic systemic are hypothesized to be linked to emotion regulation. Image created using BioRender.com. Abbreviations: dACC = dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, aINS = anterior insula, dmPFC = dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, rACC = rostral anterior cingulate cortex.