Abstract
Objectives
Mindfulness-based therapies can reduce depression and anxiety in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms have yet to be fully characterized. While mindfulness-related improvements are theorized to be derived from alterations to resting-state networks—especially within the default mode network (DMN)—in other clinical populations, it is unclear if changes in DMN neurophysiology relate to symptom reduction in autistic adults.
Method
In this randomized controlled trial, 96 adults with ASD were assigned to either a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) or a social support and relaxation education (SE) active control group. Resting-state electroencephalography recordings and self-report questionnaires assessing depression (BDI-2) and trait anxiety (STAI-2) were collected before and after the 8-week intervention to examine neurophysiological correlates of DMN activity—namely, gamma and high beta (beta-2) power across midline electrodes.
Results
Spectral power analysis of neurophysiological signatures of DMN activity from 62 participants (MBSR n=29; SE n=33) identified distinct MBSR-induced reductions in frontal and parietal gamma power and frontal beta-2 power relative to the SE group. Both MBSR and SE groups showed reductions in central beta-2 and gamma-band power, suggestive of an overlapping mechanism. MBSR-specific decreases in parietal gamma power were associated with alleviation of anxiety symptoms.
Conclusions
Findings suggest distinct neurophysiological correlates of mindfulness training implicating the DMN and point to a potential anxiolytic mechanism in adults with ASD.
Preregistration
NCT04017793
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Data Availability
Data can be shared upon reasonable request
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Acknowledgements
We send gratitude to our participants who made this study possible.
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This work was supported by Arizona State University (Start-up Funding) and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (F31AT01097).
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Broc A. Pagni: conceptualization; data curation; formal analysis; investigation; methodology; project administration; validation; visualization; writing—original draft preparation; writing—review and editing. Cole Williams: formal analysis, methodology, validation, visualization, writing—review and editing. Gabrielle Adams: data curation, software, writing—review and editing. Chris Blais: conceptualization, funding acquisition, methodology, resources, software, supervision, validation, writing—review and editing. Gene Brewer: funding acquisition, investigation, resources, software, supervision, writing—review and editing. B. Blair Braden: conceptualization; formal analysis; funding acquisition; investigation; methodology; project administration; resources; supervision; visualization; writing—original draft; writing—review and editing.
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Pagni, B.A., Williams, C., Abrams, G. et al. Neurophysiological Signatures of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Adults with Autism: Putative Mechanism of Anxiety Alleviation. Mindfulness 14, 2124–2136 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02195-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-023-02195-4