Mindfulness-based stress reduction and cognitive function among breast cancer survivors: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) survivors frequently report changes in cognition after chemotherapy. Mindfulness may benefit survivors by mitigating cancer-related cognitive impairment. As part of a larger study investigating the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for BC survivors living with neuropathic pain, the authors assessed whether MBSR would have an effect on cognitive outcomes. METHODS: Participants were randomized to an MBSR intervention group (n = 30) or a waitlist control group (n = 30). Cognitive assessments were administered at 3 time points: at baseline, 2 weeks, and 3 months post-MBSR in the intervention group and at equivalent time intervals for the control group. Multilevel models were used to assess whether MBSR significantly improved task performance at each time point. RESULTS: MBSR participants showed a significantly greater reduction in prospective and retrospective memory failures at 2 weeks postintervention. No effects of MBSR were noted for objective assessments. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that MBSR training reduces subjective (but not objective) memory-related impairments in BC survivors who receive treatment with chemotherapy. This study provides insight into a noninvasive intervention to ameliorate memory difficulties in BC survivors.

Increased gray matter following mindfulness-based stress reduction in breast cancer survivors with chronic neuropathic pain: preliminary evidence using voxel-based morphometry.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on gray matter volume (GMV) in female breast cancer survivors who suffer from chronic neuropathic pain (CNP). METHODS: Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to explore differences in GMV in 13 MBSR trainees and 10 waitlisted controls, with MRI scans and self-report measures completed pre- and post-8 weeks of training. RESULTS: Compared to controls, the MBSR group had greater GMV in the angular gyrus and middle frontal gyrus post-training. The MBSR group's right parahippocampal gyrus GMV increased from pre- to post-training, whereas the control group's left parahippocampal gyrus, precuneus, middle temporal gyrus, and right cuneus GMV decreased over the same time period. Pain interference was significantly reduced and mindfulness was significantly increased following MBSR for the intervention group only. CONCLUSIONS: MBSR was associated with increased GMV in regions where GMV is known to (1) increase with mindfulness and reorientation of attention and (2) decrease with the experience of chronic neuropathic pain. By contrast, the control group's decreases in GMV may be due to the negative effects of CNP which potentially may be reduced with MBSR, though further research is needed. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Given the poor efficiency of pharmacotherapies in a high percentage of women with neuropathic pain following breast cancer treatment, adjunct methods are required. MBSR may affect the brain to help alter attention and perception of pain, thus playing a potentially important role in the path to wellness for breast cancer survivors.

Breast cancer survivors living with chronic neuropathic pain show improved brain health following mindfulness-based stress reduction: a preliminary diffusion tensor imaging study.

PURPOSE: The present study explores the benefits of an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program to white matter integrity among breast cancer survivors experiencing chronic neuropathic pain (CNP). METHODS: Twenty-three women were randomly assigned to either a MBSR treatment group (n = 13) or a waitlist control group (n = 10). Participants were imaged with MRI prior to and post-MBSR training using diffusion tensor imaging. RESULTS: Compared with controls, the MBSR group showed a significant increase in fractional anisotropy (FA), particularly in the left subcortical regions including the uncinate fasciculus, amygdala, and hippocampus, as well as in the external capsule and in the left sagittal stratum. No decreases to FA were found in any brain regions following MBSR training. The FA values also negatively correlated with the pain severity and pain interference scores from the BRIEF pain questionnaire. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings demonstrate that MBSR training may enhance the integrity of cerebral white matter that coincides with a reduction in pain perception. Further research with a larger sample size is required. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: This study highlights the potential for MBSR, as a non-pharmacological intervention, to provide both brain health improvement and pain perception relief for female breast cancer survivors experiencing CNP.

Trait Mindfulness and Wellness in Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune, neurodegenerative disorder that can interfere with physical and psychological functioning, negatively affecting health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Fostering mindfulness may mitigate the negative consequences of MS on HRQoL. The relationship between mindfulness, mood and MS-related quality of life was investigated. In total, 52 individuals with MS completed questionnaires to examine the relationship between trait mindfulness and wellness. Higher levels of trait mindfulness were associated with better HRQoL, lower depression and anxiety, lower fatigue impact and fewer perceived cognitive deficits. Mindfulness interventions have the potential to enhance wellness in those living with MS.