Mild cognitive impairment: Meditation can boost brain health

Research shows that adults with mild cognitive impairment who practice mindfulness meditation could experience a boost in cognitive reserve.

Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, NC, published a paper in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease that highlights their findings.

While the study was small and only involved 14 participants, the team found an association between mindfulness meditation and signs of improved measures of cognition in adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

No current treatments or therapies exist that help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease in people with MCI, which is often the first step on the way to this disease, but research into this topic is ongoing.

This prompted Dr. Rebecca Erwin Wells to launch the study and see if there was another avenue to explore.

Dr. Wells is an associate professor of neurology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, a practicing neurologist at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and associate director of clinical research for its Center for Integrative Medicine.

Mindfulness-based meditation may be key

For the study, the researchers recruited 14 men and women between the ages of 55 and 90 years who had received a diagnosis of MCI.

They randomized these participants into two groups. The first group took part in an 8 week course of mindfulness meditation and yoga, while the control group joined a "waiting list" for the course instead.

The study revealed that those who participated in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) had improved cognition. The study also showed that this practice had positive effects on the hippocampus, which is a part of the brain that plays a role in memory and learning.

Prior research has shown that chronic stress can negatively affect the hippocampus, potentially contributing to MCI and Alzheimer's. This study shows that there may be an option that does not involve medication or pharmaceutical trials.

One concern prior to the study was that the participants, due to the nature of MCI, would not be able to learn the new skill of mindfulness meditation. However, the researchers found that cognitive impairments did not prevent the participants from being able to learn and successfully use the technique.

"Until treatment options that can prevent the progression to Alzheimer's are found, mindfulness meditation may help patients living with MCI," says Dr. Wells.

"Our study showed promising evidence that adults with MCI can learn to practice mindfulness meditation, and by doing so, may boost their cognitive reserve."

Dr. Rebecca Erwin Wells.

Source: Medical News Today