Is Mindfulness Better Than Medication?

Mindfulness’s attention to the here and now. It’s being fully present in the moment. You are experiencing the present moment and non-judgmental way. The brain model of depression is hypo-connectivity between the neurons in certain parts of the brain that regulate and process your emotions and a hyper connectivity in the default mode network. In this video I discussed what the default mode network is and how it relates to depression. I also discuss how mindfulness changes these connectivity patterns.

Here are the specific structures of that brain that make up the default mode network. The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC; areas 23/31), the precuneus, and the medial frontal cortex (MFC, including areas 24/10-m/32), as well as bilateral inferior parietal and posterior temporal areas around the temporoparietal junction area.

Here is how you download the body scan audio. Click this link: http://markspsychiatry.com/mindfulness/

References
Matthew A. Killingsworth, Daniel T. Gilbert A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind. SCIENCE12 NOV 2010 : 932

Defines the structures in the Default Mode Network
Yang CC, Barrós-Loscertales A, Pinazo D, et al. State and training effects of mindfulness meditation on brain networks reflect neuronal mechanisms of its antidepressant effect. Neural Plast. 2016;2016:9504642.

Farb NA, Anderson AK, Segal ZV. The mindful brain and emotion regulation in mood disorders. Can J Psychiatry. 2012;57(2):70-7.

V. A. Taylor, V. Daneault, J. Grant et al., “Impact of meditation training on the default mode network during a restful state,” Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 4–14, 2013.

Defines/establishes the default mode network
Gusnard DA, Akbudak E, Shulman GL, Raichle ME. Medial prefrontal cortex and self-referential mental activity: relation to a default mode of brain function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2001;98(7):4259-64.

Brown, K. W., West, A. M., Loverich, T. M., & Biegel, G. M. (2011). Assessing adolescent mindfulness: Validation of an Adapted Mindful Attention Awareness Scale in adolescent normative and psychiatric populations. Psychological Assessment, 23(4), 1023-1033

Article about neuroconnectivity as the basis for depression
R. H. Kaiser, J. R. Andrews-Hanna, T. D. Wager, and D. A. Pizzagalli, “Large-scale network dysfunction in major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of resting-state functional connectivity,” JAMA Psychiatry, vol. 72, no. 6, pp. 603–611, 2015.

Mindfulness prevents relapse best in people with 3 or more episodes
Ma, S. H., & Teasdale, J. D. (2004). Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(1), 31-40.

Disclaimer: All of the information on this channel is for educational purposes and not intended to be specific/personal medical advice from me to you. Watching the videos or getting answers to comments/question, does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. If you have your own doctor, perhaps these videos can help prepare you for your discussion with your doctor.

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