Neural and cognitive changes associated with mindfulness training in older adults

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

? DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Normal aging is accompanied by slow declines in neural structural integrity and cognitive function. Recently there has been great interest in developing programs to help promote cognitive functioning in older adults with the goal of slowing the rate of normal decline and/or delaying the onset of dementia. A growing body of literature suggests that regular practice of meditation may provide a novel method to both promote cognitive functioning and slow normal age-related decline of neural structure and function. However, most of this existing data is cross-sectional or lacks assessments of long-term outcome following an initial meditation training period. Further, many of the studies demonstrating cognitive benefits have been restricted to behavioral assessment and have not included neuroimaging, so little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying the observed cognitive differences. The overarching goal of this project is to evaluate the utility of an 8-week meditation-based program to promote successful cognitive aging. We will assess changes in neural structure and cognitive function in a cohort of cognitively normal older adults (65-80 years old) randomized to mindfulness training or a control condition. We will assess the stability of these changes at four time-points following program completion (6, 12, 18 and 24 months).