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Table 2 Overview of neurobehavioral intervention-by-time effects in substance use disorders

From: Do mindfulness-based interventions change brain function in people with substance dependence? A systematic review of the fMRI evidence

Author, Year

Behavior changes pre-post MBI vs. control

fMRI

Brain changes pre-to-post MBI vs. control intervention

Brain-behavior associations

Substance use

Mindfulness/other

Task

Analysis

Function

Direction, region

Cohen’s d

p, correction

Z or t

Fahmy, Wasfi (26)

  

Rest

(eyes closed)

Whole brain

ICA (DMN)

Connectivity

↓ IFG (right, aDMN)

 

P < .05

FDR-corrected

Z = 4.72

Collapsed groups:

Neg. Cor. FMI & rIFG connectivity

Janes, Datko (28)

= Cigs/day

 

Cue reactivity

(nicotine vs. neutral)

ROI

(PCC)

Activity

= PCC cue-reactivity

0.02

P < .05

permutation -corrected

  

Froeliger, Mathew (27)

↓ Cigs/week

= Craving & urge to smoke change (SJWQ), breath carbon monoxide

↑ positive affect (PANAS)

= negative affect (PANAS), affect (VAS)

Emotion

(positive vs. neutral)

Whole brain

Activity

↑ Striatum (VS/caudate), ACC (rostral/vmPFC)

2.13–2.66

P < .05

montecarlo -corrected

Z = 2.9–3.5

Collapsed groups:

Pos. Cor. Magnitude smoking reduction, ventral striatum & rACC

Neg. Cor. Urge to smoke & ventral striatum

N.S. Cor. trend urge to smoke & rACC

Pos. Cor. positive affect & rACC

N.S. Cor. trend observed for positive affect & ventral striatum

Cue reactivity

(nicotine vs. neutral)

Whole brain

Activity

↓ Striatum (VS/caudate), ACC (rostral/vmPFC)

1.57–1.7

Z = 2.1–2.3

 

Seeds from emotion & cue reactivity tasks

Seed-whole brain

(rACC)

Connectivity

↑ ACC (rostral OFC)

2.69

 F = 19.8

Collapsed groups:

Pos. Cor. Magnitude smoking reduction, positive affect & rACC-OFC connectivity

Kober, Brewer (29)*

↓ Cigs/day (group*time)

= Craving (VAS)

= Stress (VAS)

Stress reactivity

(stress vs. neutral – verbal scenarios)

Whole brain

Activity

↓ Striatum (putamen), cerebellum, insula (ant/mid/post), amygdala, hippocampus, para-hippocampus, thalamus, midbrain

1.03–1.10

P < .05 FWE-corrected

t = 3.97–5.72

MT: Pos. Cor. Cigs/day & insula (ant), amygdala, para-hippocampus

FFS: N.S. Cor. Cigs/day & insula (ant), amygdala, para-hippocampus

 

Insula (ant), amygdala, para-hippocampus

   

Combined groups:

Pos. Cor. Cigs/day reduction & activity (amygdala, ant/mid/post insula, hippocampus, para-hippocampus, thalamus, mid occipital, midbrain, cerebellum, cuneus/precuneus, PCC)

Tang, Tang (9)*

= Craving (group*time)

↓ carbon monoxide (group*time)

 

Rest

(eyes closed)

Whole brain

(fALFF)

Activity

↓ Cerebellum, precuneus/PCC/BA31

 

P < .05

montecarlo -corrected

t = (-3.91)-(-4.10)

 

Westbrook, Creswell (2)*

↓ Craving (VAS)

↓ stress (VAS)

Cue reactivity

(neutral vs. cigarette)

Whole brain

Activity

Passive view cigs > neutral:

↑ ACC (ventral/mFG), precuneus

↓ fusiform

Mindful > passive view cigs:

↓ ACC (subgenual/vmPFC)

 

P < .05

montecarlo -corrected

t = 3.58–4.90

 

Seed-whole brain

(sgACC) PPI

Connectivity

Mindful > passive view cigs:

↓ Striatum (VS/caudate), precuneus, insula, MFG, parietal (inferior), premotor

 

t = (-4.15)–(-5.38)

 
  1. *Groups compared cross−sectionally, post intervention
  2. ↑ Increased; ↓ Decreased; = no change
  3. Abbreviations: ACC, anterior cingulate cortex; aDMN, anterior default mode network; Ant, anterior; BA, Brodmann area; CO, carbon monoxide; Cor, correlation; DTS, distress tolerance scales; fALFF, fractional amplitude of low−frequency fluctuations; FFS, freedom from smoking; FMI, Freiburg mindfulness inventory; FTND, Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence; ICA, independent component analysis; IFG, inferior frontal gyrus; MBI, Mindfulness−based intervention; MFG, middle frontal gyrus ; mFG, medial frontal gyrus; N.S., non−significant; Neg, negative; OFC, orbitofrontal cortex; PANAS, positive and negative affect schedule; PCC, posterior cingulate cortex; pDMN, posterior default mode network; PPI, psychophysiological interactions; Pos, positive; Post, posterior; rACC, rostral anterior cingulate cortex; ROI, region of interest; sgACC, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex; SJWQ, Shiffman−Jarvik questionnaire; TAU, treatment as usual; UPPS, impulsive behavior scale; VAS, visual analogue scale; vmPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex; VS, ventral striatum