Mind-body Interventions for Healthy Aging

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.

Inclusion criteria

• Between ages 65-85 years
• Capable of attending the assessment and the majority of intervention sessions
• Right-handed
• Fluent English speaker
• Corrected (near and far) visual acuity of 20/40 or better
• Normal color vision
• Adequate hearing for experimental purposes
• Absence of diagnosed terminal illness
• Absence of diagnosed neurological disorders
• No history of psychotic disorder or substance abuse disorder
• Absence of any psychiatric disorder that was 1) diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist and 2) diagnosed within the past 2 years OR symptoms and/or treatment is ongoing
• Score less than 20 on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)
• Absence of medication use that significantly alters brain activity
• No history of diagnosed learning disability that would interfere with the completion of cognitive tasks
• No evidence of dementia: No scores below 2 standard deviations from the mean on neuropsychological battery AND adequate self-reported performance of instrumental activities of daily living
• To be included in the MRI portion of the study (not exclusionary for study participation): Absence of any non-MRI safe objects that cannot be removed, not pregnant and not attempting to become pregnant, and absence of self-reported claustrophobia
• Able to engage in light stretching exercises with or without assistive devices
• No regular practice of meditation or yoga (defined as once or more per week) AND no previous participation in a structured mindfulness class such as MBSR
• Access to the internet

Exclusion criteria

• Not between the ages of 65-85
• Any physical limitation or pragmatic limitation that prohibits attendance at assessment sessions and intervention sessions
• Left-handed or ambidextrous
• No fluency in English
• Corrected (near or far) visual acuity worse than 20/40
• All types of color blindness
• Self-reported hearing impairment that would affect their ability to hear the experimenter
• Diagnosis of terminal illness
• Presence of diagnosed neurological disorders
• History of psychotic disorder or substance abuse disorder diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist
• History of psychotic disorder or substance abuse disorder diagnosed by a psychologist of psychiatrist
• Presence of any psychiatric disorder that was 1) diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist and 2) diagnosed within the past 2 years OR symptoms/treatment is on going
• Score greater than or equal to 20 on the CES-D
• Medication use that significantly alters brain activity
• History of diagnosed learning disability that would interfere with completion of the cognitive tasks
• Evidence of dementia: one or more memory scores below 2 standard deviations from the mean AND one or more non-memory scores below 2 standard deviations from the mean on neuropsychological battery OR total score below 2 standard deviations from the mean on neuropsychological battery OR inadequate self-reported performance of instrumental activities of daily living
• Presence of non-MRI safe objects that cannot be removed, pregnant or attempting to become pregnant, or self-reported claustrophobia (exclusionary for MRI portion of the study only)
• Actual or perceived limitation that prohibits engaging in light stretching exercises with or without assistive devices
• Any regular practice of meditation or yoga (defined as once or more per week) OR previous participation in a structured mindfulness class such as MBSR
• No access to the internet