Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
5-10-2017 11:00 AM
End Date
5-10-2017 1:00 PM
Subjects
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, Older people -- Mental health, Mindfulness, Cognitive therapy -- Methods, Stress (Psychology) -- Alternative treatment
Abstract
The biological and neural mechanisms of stress have been extensively studied and supported, but are still unclear. Event-related potentials (ERP’s) emitted by neurons in the brain are a useful tool in measuring stress because they reflect neural response in real-time, to the millisecond, versus typical biological markers, which are typically evaluated before and after a stress test. The neurobiological relationship between ERP’s and stress originates in the anterior cingulate cortex, which in turn activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis; the main physiological cascade fueling the stress response and its chronically harmful symptoms. Malfunctions in the stress response, as in the cases of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and OCD, could be contributed from an excess of these feedback-related negativity ERP’s. In current literature, alternative methods of treatment include mindfulness meditation (MM) programs, which in the short-term decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and galvanic skin response, and in the long-term improve psychological factors such as relaxation ability, cognitive flexibility, emotional control, rumination, and perceived stress. Cortisol levels usually remain unchanged with short-term interventions, suggesting that long-term MM may be the key in order to re-wire a faulty stress-response in subjects with associated disorders. This study will test the efficacy of a MM program in improving the ERP responses of stressed older adults, and will further the scientific evidence for ERP’s having a biological basis and substantial effect on neural circuits.
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Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/20180
Mindfulness Meditation as a Stress Reactivity Intervention: An Event-Related Potential Study
The biological and neural mechanisms of stress have been extensively studied and supported, but are still unclear. Event-related potentials (ERP’s) emitted by neurons in the brain are a useful tool in measuring stress because they reflect neural response in real-time, to the millisecond, versus typical biological markers, which are typically evaluated before and after a stress test. The neurobiological relationship between ERP’s and stress originates in the anterior cingulate cortex, which in turn activates the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis; the main physiological cascade fueling the stress response and its chronically harmful symptoms. Malfunctions in the stress response, as in the cases of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and OCD, could be contributed from an excess of these feedback-related negativity ERP’s. In current literature, alternative methods of treatment include mindfulness meditation (MM) programs, which in the short-term decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and galvanic skin response, and in the long-term improve psychological factors such as relaxation ability, cognitive flexibility, emotional control, rumination, and perceived stress. Cortisol levels usually remain unchanged with short-term interventions, suggesting that long-term MM may be the key in order to re-wire a faulty stress-response in subjects with associated disorders. This study will test the efficacy of a MM program in improving the ERP responses of stressed older adults, and will further the scientific evidence for ERP’s having a biological basis and substantial effect on neural circuits.