Mindfulness starts with the body: Somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) use a common set of exercises to reduce distress in chronic pain and decrease risk of depression relapse. These standardized mindfulness (ST-Mindfulness) practices predominantly require attending to breath and...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2013-02-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00012/full |
| _version_ | 1818792378934231040 |
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| author | Catherine E Kerr Matthew D Sacchet Matthew D Sacchet Sara W. Lazar Christopher I. Moore Stephanie R. Jones Stephanie R. Jones |
| author_facet | Catherine E Kerr Matthew D Sacchet Matthew D Sacchet Sara W. Lazar Christopher I. Moore Stephanie R. Jones Stephanie R. Jones |
| author_sort | Catherine E Kerr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) use a common set of exercises to reduce distress in chronic pain and decrease risk of depression relapse. These standardized mindfulness (ST-Mindfulness) practices predominantly require attending to breath and body sensations. Here, we offer a novel view of ST-Mindfulness’s somatic focus as a form of training for optimizing attentional modulation of 7-14 Hz alpha rhythms that play a key role in filtering inputs to primary sensory neocortex and organizing the flow of sensory information. In support of the framework, we describe our previous finding (Kerr et al, 2011) that ST-Mindfulness enhanced attentional regulation of alpha in primary somatosensory cortex (SI). The framework allows us to make several predictions. In chronic pain, we predict somatic attention in ST-Mindfulness de-biases alpha in SI, freeing up pain-focused attentional resources. In depression relapse, we predict ST-Mindfulness’s somatic attention competes with internally focused rumination, as internally focused cognitive processes (e.g., working and short term memory) rely on alpha filtering of sensory input. Our computational model (Jones et al, 2009) predicts ST-Mindfulness enhances top-down modulation of alpha by facilitating precise alterations in timing and efficacy of SI thalamocortical inputs. We conclude by considering how the proposed framework aligns with Buddhist teachings that mindfulness starts with mindfulness of the body. Translating this theory into neurophysiology, we hypothesize that with its somatic focus, mindfulness’ top-down alpha rhythm modulation in SI enhances gain control which, in turn, sensitizes practitioners to better detect and regulate when the mind wanders from its somatic focus. This enhanced regulation of somatic mind-wandering may be an early stage of mindfulness training, leading to cognitive regulation and metacognition. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T15:26:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-476763b5efbb4b74801c321213d53b2d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T15:26:18Z |
| publishDate | 2013-02-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-476763b5efbb4b74801c321213d53b2d2022-12-21T21:03:15ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612013-02-01710.3389/fnhum.2013.0001217965Mindfulness starts with the body: Somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditationCatherine E Kerr0Matthew D Sacchet1Matthew D Sacchet2Sara W. Lazar3Christopher I. Moore4Stephanie R. Jones5Stephanie R. Jones6Brown UniversityStanford University School of MedicineStanford UniversityMassachusetts General HospitalBrown UniversityBrown UniversityMassachusetts General HospitalMindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) use a common set of exercises to reduce distress in chronic pain and decrease risk of depression relapse. These standardized mindfulness (ST-Mindfulness) practices predominantly require attending to breath and body sensations. Here, we offer a novel view of ST-Mindfulness’s somatic focus as a form of training for optimizing attentional modulation of 7-14 Hz alpha rhythms that play a key role in filtering inputs to primary sensory neocortex and organizing the flow of sensory information. In support of the framework, we describe our previous finding (Kerr et al, 2011) that ST-Mindfulness enhanced attentional regulation of alpha in primary somatosensory cortex (SI). The framework allows us to make several predictions. In chronic pain, we predict somatic attention in ST-Mindfulness de-biases alpha in SI, freeing up pain-focused attentional resources. In depression relapse, we predict ST-Mindfulness’s somatic attention competes with internally focused rumination, as internally focused cognitive processes (e.g., working and short term memory) rely on alpha filtering of sensory input. Our computational model (Jones et al, 2009) predicts ST-Mindfulness enhances top-down modulation of alpha by facilitating precise alterations in timing and efficacy of SI thalamocortical inputs. We conclude by considering how the proposed framework aligns with Buddhist teachings that mindfulness starts with mindfulness of the body. Translating this theory into neurophysiology, we hypothesize that with its somatic focus, mindfulness’ top-down alpha rhythm modulation in SI enhances gain control which, in turn, sensitizes practitioners to better detect and regulate when the mind wanders from its somatic focus. This enhanced regulation of somatic mind-wandering may be an early stage of mindfulness training, leading to cognitive regulation and metacognition.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00012/fullAlpha RhythmAttentionChronic PainSomatosensory Cortexthalamocortical loopdepression relapse |
| spellingShingle | Catherine E Kerr Matthew D Sacchet Matthew D Sacchet Sara W. Lazar Christopher I. Moore Stephanie R. Jones Stephanie R. Jones Mindfulness starts with the body: Somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Alpha Rhythm Attention Chronic Pain Somatosensory Cortex thalamocortical loop depression relapse |
| title | Mindfulness starts with the body: Somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation |
| title_full | Mindfulness starts with the body: Somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation |
| title_fullStr | Mindfulness starts with the body: Somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mindfulness starts with the body: Somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation |
| title_short | Mindfulness starts with the body: Somatosensory attention and top-down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation |
| title_sort | mindfulness starts with the body somatosensory attention and top down modulation of cortical alpha rhythms in mindfulness meditation |
| topic | Alpha Rhythm Attention Chronic Pain Somatosensory Cortex thalamocortical loop depression relapse |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00012/full |
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