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Mindfulness Training for Emotional and Cognitive Health in Late Life

  • Geropsychiatry & Cognitive Disorders of Late Life (P Newhouse, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Behavioral Neuroscience Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

There is a growing interest in psychosocial interventions that can enhance emotional and cognitive health in older adults, both to treat psychopathology and/or cognitive decline and to prolong optimum functioning in healthy individuals. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been proposed as an accessible and effective means of promoting emotional and cognitive health. This article reviews recent clinical trials of MBIs in older adults.

Recent Findings

There is growing support for MBIs as a means to address mild to moderate clinical concerns, including depression, anxiety, sleep, and subjective memory or other cognitive complains but little evidence that MBIs improve functioning in already healthy individuals.

Summary

MBIs may be effective for older adults with mild to moderate emotional and cognitive dysfunction. Future longitudinal work is needed to test if MBIs are an effective means of prevention of emotional or cognitive decline.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Moria J. Smoski & Lori Keeling

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, DUMC Box 3026, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Moria J. Smoski & Andrew McClintock

  3. Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Andrew McClintock

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  1. Moria J. Smoski
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  2. Andrew McClintock
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Correspondence to Moria J. Smoski.

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Dr. Moria J. Smoski, Andrew McClintock, and Lori Keeling declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Geropsychiatry & Cognitive Disorders of Late Life

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Smoski, M.J., McClintock, A. & Keeling, L. Mindfulness Training for Emotional and Cognitive Health in Late Life. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 3, 301–307 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-016-0097-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-016-0097-y

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