Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Less Amyloid, Tau, and Cognitive Decline in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease

Background: Mindfulness, defined as nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, has been associated with an array of mental and physical health benefits. Mindfulness may also represent a protective factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we tested the potential protective effect of trait mindf...

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Main Authors: Cherie Strikwerda-Brown, Hazal Ozlen, Alexa Pichet Binette, Marianne Chapleau, Natalie L. Marchant, John C.S. Breitner, Sylvia Villeneuve
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-01-01
Series:Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667174322000052
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author Cherie Strikwerda-Brown
Hazal Ozlen
Alexa Pichet Binette
Marianne Chapleau
Natalie L. Marchant
John C.S. Breitner
Sylvia Villeneuve
author_facet Cherie Strikwerda-Brown
Hazal Ozlen
Alexa Pichet Binette
Marianne Chapleau
Natalie L. Marchant
John C.S. Breitner
Sylvia Villeneuve
author_sort Cherie Strikwerda-Brown
collection DOAJ
description Background: Mindfulness, defined as nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, has been associated with an array of mental and physical health benefits. Mindfulness may also represent a protective factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we tested the potential protective effect of trait mindfulness on cognitive decline and AD pathology in older adults at risk for AD dementia. Methods: Measures of trait mindfulness, longitudinal cognitive assessments, and amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau positron emission tomography scans were collected in 261 nondemented older adults with a family history of AD dementia from the PREVENT-AD (Pre-symptomatic Evaluation of Experimental or Novel Treatments for AD) observational cohort study. Multivariate partial least squares analyses were used to examine relationships between combinations of different facets of trait mindfulness and 1) cognitive decline, 2) Aβ, and 3) tau. Results: Higher levels of mindful nonjudgment, describing, and nonreactivity were associated with less cognitive decline in attention, global cognition, and immediate and delayed memory. Higher levels of mindful nonjudgment and nonreactivity were related to less Aβ positron emission tomography signal in bilateral medial and lateral temporoparietal and frontal regions. Higher levels of mindful acting with awareness, describing, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity were associated with less tau positron emission tomography signal in bilateral medial and lateral temporal regions. Conclusions: Trait mindfulness was associated with less cognitive decline and less Aβ and tau in the brain in older adults at risk for AD dementia. Longitudinal studies examining the temporal relationship between trait mindfulness and AD markers, along with mindfulness intervention studies, will be important for further clarifying the potential protective benefits of mindfulness on AD risk.
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spelling doaj.art-3834e0fc27a0422cb7c38be2a7d766ac2023-01-19T04:18:00ZengElsevierBiological Psychiatry Global Open Science2667-17432023-01-0131130138Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Less Amyloid, Tau, and Cognitive Decline in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer’s DiseaseCherie Strikwerda-Brown0Hazal Ozlen1Alexa Pichet Binette2Marianne Chapleau3Natalie L. Marchant4John C.S. Breitner5Sylvia Villeneuve6Centre for Studies on the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Cherie Strikwerda-Brown, Ph.D.Centre for Studies on the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaCentre for Studies on the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaCentre for Studies on the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaDivision of Psychiatry, Faculty of Brain Sciences, University College London, London, United KingdomCentre for Studies on the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaCentre for Studies on the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; McGill Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, Montreal Neurological Institute, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Address correspondence to Sylvia Villeneuve, Ph.D.Background: Mindfulness, defined as nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, has been associated with an array of mental and physical health benefits. Mindfulness may also represent a protective factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we tested the potential protective effect of trait mindfulness on cognitive decline and AD pathology in older adults at risk for AD dementia. Methods: Measures of trait mindfulness, longitudinal cognitive assessments, and amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau positron emission tomography scans were collected in 261 nondemented older adults with a family history of AD dementia from the PREVENT-AD (Pre-symptomatic Evaluation of Experimental or Novel Treatments for AD) observational cohort study. Multivariate partial least squares analyses were used to examine relationships between combinations of different facets of trait mindfulness and 1) cognitive decline, 2) Aβ, and 3) tau. Results: Higher levels of mindful nonjudgment, describing, and nonreactivity were associated with less cognitive decline in attention, global cognition, and immediate and delayed memory. Higher levels of mindful nonjudgment and nonreactivity were related to less Aβ positron emission tomography signal in bilateral medial and lateral temporoparietal and frontal regions. Higher levels of mindful acting with awareness, describing, nonjudgment, and nonreactivity were associated with less tau positron emission tomography signal in bilateral medial and lateral temporal regions. Conclusions: Trait mindfulness was associated with less cognitive decline and less Aβ and tau in the brain in older adults at risk for AD dementia. Longitudinal studies examining the temporal relationship between trait mindfulness and AD markers, along with mindfulness intervention studies, will be important for further clarifying the potential protective benefits of mindfulness on AD risk.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667174322000052Alzheimer’s diseaseAmyloidCognitionMindfulnessPreventionTau
spellingShingle Cherie Strikwerda-Brown
Hazal Ozlen
Alexa Pichet Binette
Marianne Chapleau
Natalie L. Marchant
John C.S. Breitner
Sylvia Villeneuve
Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Less Amyloid, Tau, and Cognitive Decline in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyloid
Cognition
Mindfulness
Prevention
Tau
title Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Less Amyloid, Tau, and Cognitive Decline in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
title_full Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Less Amyloid, Tau, and Cognitive Decline in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
title_fullStr Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Less Amyloid, Tau, and Cognitive Decline in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
title_full_unstemmed Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Less Amyloid, Tau, and Cognitive Decline in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
title_short Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Less Amyloid, Tau, and Cognitive Decline in Individuals at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
title_sort trait mindfulness is associated with less amyloid tau and cognitive decline in individuals at risk for alzheimer s disease
topic Alzheimer’s disease
Amyloid
Cognition
Mindfulness
Prevention
Tau
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667174322000052
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