Mind-body Interventions for Healthy Aging
Condition: Aging
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this study is to examine the impact of mind-body interventions in enhancing
      behavioral and neural correlates of attentional control in older adults. Participants will be
      randomized to either a 8-week mindfulness meditation group or a 8-week lifestyle education
      group. Additional booster sessions, spanning the course of a year, will be offered to
      participants in both groups. Participants will complete pre- and post-assessments of
      neurocognitive and emotional functioning, and will be assessed for maintained benefits
      12-months post-intervention.
    

Detailed description: 
      Mind-body interventions are increasingly being examined for their potential to improve
      cognitive function, enhance emotion regulation, reduce stress and related inflammatory
      markers, and alter the neural circuitry supporting cognitive and emotional functioning. The
      primary goal of this study is to examine changes in attentional control resulting from
      engaging in mind-body interventions with additional booster sessions over the course of a
      year. Within this goal, the behavioral and neural mechanisms of change in attentional control
      will be investigated and the transfer of benefits to performance on measures of everyday
      cognition and emotion regulation will be assessed. Our main hypothesis is that eight weeks of
      mindfulness training will increase attentional control performance in the elderly, partially
      through mindfulness-induced reductions in mind-wandering and changes in the functional
      architecture of the brain. Up to 200 older adults (ages 65-85) will be enrolled for the
      study. Of these, 151 older adults meeting eligibility criteria will be randomized to either
      an eight-week MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction) program or a lifestyle education
      group. Participants will attend weekly mindfulness training or lifestyle education sessions
      and will be asked to complete homework assignments administered via a mobile/web-based
      application designed by the laboratory. All participants will also be invited to participate
      in four booster sessions over the course of 12 months following the intervention with
      continued access to the mobile application content. Behavioral metrics of cognitive function
      and inflammatory markers will be collected before and after the eight-week intervention as
      well as at 6-months and 12-month follow-up assessments. Neural metrics of cognitive
      functioning will be collected before and after the eight-week intervention as well as at
      12-month follow-up assessments.
    

Intervention name(s): Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR); Lifestyle Education (LifeEd)
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The MBSR program is a mind-body approach developed by Kabat-Zinn to reduce pain and stress through mindfulness meditation. MBSR is a form of mental training characterized by the self-regulation of attention and focal orientation to present moment experiences. Mindfulness practice is thought to effectively promote emotional and cognitive control. Mindfulness includes directing awareness away from thoughts, emotions and sensations towards some specific "anchor" to the present, such as the breath. Participants will engage in various practices including breath awareness, body scans, mindful listening, etc.; This group will engage in light stretching exercises at each session. They will also be provided with information drawn from the scientific literature on topics related to healthy aging, including physical activity, sedentary behavior, nutrition, hydration, stress, sleep, and cognitively stimulating activities. Group discussion will be incorporated throughout.
Other intervention name(s): MBSR; LifeEd
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single (Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Mindfulness-based stress reduction; Cognitive function; Emotion regulation; Lifestyle education; Attentional control; Mindfulness training; Aging; Older adults; Mind-wandering; Functional connectivity; Randomized controlled trial