Investigation of Functional Brain Network in Altered Meditation State With Multimodal Neuroimaging

The purpose of this study is to investigate functional brain network in altered meditation state with multimodal neuroimaging.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Meditation; Mindfulness
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: external meditation guided audio; Device: internal meditation guided audio

Detailed Description

1. Recruiting participants by approaching mindfulness training, poster, and websites.
2. Completing Questionnaires, Tests, and other materials for experiments.
3. Examining Functional Brain Network of Internal and External Meditation of practitioners with a meditation using multimodal neuroimaging.
4. Collecting and evaluating data about the connection of internal and external meditation with multimodal neuroimaging and identifying the function related to meditation state.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Shanghai Municipality
    • Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, China, 200030
      • School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 60 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• A sufficient level of education to understand study procedure and be able to communicate with site personnel.
• 18-60 years old.
• Interested in meditation.
• No metal or electronic implants in the body; no prosthesis (metal braces, dentures, etc.); no claustrophobia; no tattoos, piercings, etc.; no makeup on the day of the experiment.
• Right-handed.

Exclusion Criteria:

• The participant has a contraindication to MRI examination, such as claustrophobia.
• The participant is physically unfit for MRI, such as having a metal implant.
• The participant has a history of neurological or psychiatric disorders, or is taking any chronic medications that may interfere with the experiment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Novice meditators; Participants who have no meditation practice in the previous year and less than 20 entire lifetime hours' meditation.	Device: external meditation guided audio; Examining DMN connectivity and CSF flow in external meditation state by External Meditation Instruction Audio.; Device: internal meditation guided audio; Examining DMN connectivity and CSF flow in external meditation state by Internal Meditation Instruction Audio.
Experimental: Experienced meditators; Participants with more than two years of mindfulness practice	Device: external meditation guided audio; Examining DMN connectivity and CSF flow in external meditation state by External Meditation Instruction Audio.; Device: internal meditation guided audio; Examining DMN connectivity and CSF flow in external meditation state by Internal Meditation Instruction Audio.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire(FFMQ)	FFMQ is a validated, self-administered questionnaire that measures the tendency to act with mindfulness. Its 39 items are assessed on a Likert scale from 1 to 5 (i.e., "never or very rarely true" to "very often or always true"). The higher scores on the scale convey the higher tendency to act with mindfulness.	Week 1
CSF pulsation index	CSF pulsation index, calculated by the number of CSF pulsation per minute.	Week 1
Functional connectivity	Checking functional connectivity in major resting-state brain networks (such as DMN).	Week 1

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Mindfulness positive awareness examined by Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)	MAAS is a validated, fifteen-item self-report measure on which the items are scored using a six-point rating scale (1 = almost always and 6 = almost never). The global score of the scale is obtained by calculating the mean score of each participant's responses, and higher scores on the scale convey the higher levels of dispositional mindfulness.	Week 1
The ability of self-compassion examined by Self-Compassion Scale(SCS) after 1-week practice of internal and external mindfulness	SCS is a validated, 26-item self-report measure on which the items are scored using a five-point Likert scale scored from 1 (almost never) to 5 (almost always). The higher total score on the scale indicates a higher level of self-compassion.	Week 1
Cognitive Flexibility Inventory(CFI)	CFI is a validated, self-reported measure of cognitive flexibility，which consists of 20 statements scored from 1 ( "definitely disagree") to 7( "definitely agree."). The scores for all items are pooled to generate a total score of 20 to 140. Higher total scores indicate the increasing level of cognitive flexibility.	Week 1
Perceived Stress Scale(PSS)	PSS is a validated, self-reported measure of psychological stress level. There are 10-items scored from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). The scores for all items are pooled to generate a total score in the range of 0 to 40. Higher total scores indicate the increasing level of psychological stress.	Week 1
The Chinese version of Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory(FMI-13)	FMI-13 is a validated, thirteen-item self-report measure on which the items are scored using a four-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). This short form was used for measuring mindfulness traits, and higher scores on the scale convey the higher levels of mindfulness trait.	Week 1

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Cognitive impairment quantitative assessment by Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE)	MMSE is a validated, widely used screening tool for cognitive impairment quantitative assessment. It included 11 items. The scores for all items are pooled to generate a total score in the range of 0 to 30. A 27-point was proved to be an appropriate cutoff for cognitive impairment in a population with relatively high educational attainment.	Week 0
Intelligence assessment by Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM)	SPM is a validated intelligence assessment that consists of 60 non-colored diagrammatic puzzles with a missing part, which subjects should correctly choose one among six options. SPM scores were estimated as the total of participants' correct answers (0-60). Higher total scores indicate the increasing level of intelligence level.	Week 0
Brief Profile of Mood States(Brief-POMS)	The Brief-POMS is a validated,30-item measure, with items scored on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). The scores for all items are pooled to generate a total score in the range of 0 to 120. A higher total score on the scale indicates a worse mood state.	Week 1
Mental flexibility assessment by Trail Making Test (TMT)	TMT is a validated mental flexibility assessment consisting of two parts (TMT-A and TMT-B ). The TMT-A consisted of a standardized page on which the numbers 1 to 25 were scattered within circles. The participants were asked to connect the numbers in order as quickly as possible. Similarly, the TMT-B consisted of a standardized page that included the numbers 1 to 13 and the letters A to L, which were randomly distributed. The participants were instructed to draw lines connecting numbers and letters (ascending and alphabetical) in alternating numbers and letters. A maximum time of 300 s was allowed before discontinuing the test. Direct scores of TMT were the time in seconds taken to complete each task (A and B). A Higher result indicates a worse cognitive outcome.	Week 1

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Shanghai Mental Health Center
• Collaborators: School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
• Investigators: Study Chair: Qing Fan, Shanghai Mental Health Center; Study Chair: Jie Luo, School of Biomedical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 20, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): December 30, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): December 30, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 14, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 18, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): August 25, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 23, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 21, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: neuroimaging; mindfulness; meditation; functional brain network
• Other Study ID Numbers: B20200361

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No