Mindfulness and Brain Scans

69 topics across 6 chapters

Chapter 1

Mindfulness foundations and practice

What “mindfulness” means: definitions, traditions, and modern programs (e.g., MBSR/MBCT)

Psychological mechanisms: attention, emotion regulation, and interoception

Core mindfulness practices (what you actually do)

3 subtopics

Breath-focused attention: a 10-minute step-by-step practice protocol

Body scan: a simple script and what to notice (sensations vs thoughts)

Open monitoring: a checklist for “noting” and returning without judging

Chapter 2

Brain scanning (neuroimaging) fundamentals

Brain anatomy and large-scale networks used in mindfulness papers

2 subtopics

Key structures: PFC, ACC, insula, amygdala, hippocampus, PCC

Key networks: default mode, salience, and executive control (who does what)

Imaging modalities overview: what each measures (and what it can’t)

2 subtopics

Spatial vs temporal resolution: why fMRI and EEG tell different kinds of stories

Activation vs connectivity vs structure: common claims and what they mean

fMRI essentials

4 subtopics

BOLD signal 101: what changes in blood oxygenation can (and can’t) imply

Task vs resting-state fMRI: designs commonly used for meditation studies

Preprocessing basics: motion correction, smoothing, normalization (why they matter)

Common outputs: statistical maps, ROIs, contrasts, connectivity matrices

EEG/MEG essentials

3 subtopics

EEG basics: frequency bands, ERPs, and what “power changes” mean

EEG/MEG artifacts: eye blinks, muscle, movement, and cleaning strategies

Source localization: why “where in the brain” is hard for EEG/MEG

Structural MRI & diffusion imaging (DTI) essentials

3 subtopics

Gray-matter measures: cortical thickness, volume, and segmentation basics

DTI measures: white-matter tracts, FA/MD, and what “integrity” really means

Common pitfalls in structural claims: confounds, false positives, reverse inference

Other measures sometimes paired with mindfulness: PET, physiology, hormones (what they add)

Chapter 3

Neuroimaging findings in mindfulness research

Attention and executive control: typical findings and competing interpretations

Default Mode Network (DMN) and self-referential thought: what changes are reported

Emotion regulation circuits: amygdala–PFC findings and what “reduced reactivity” means

Interoception and insula: brain-scan evidence related to body awareness

Structural change claims: what’s been reported, and why it’s hard to prove

Connectivity and networks: stronger/weaker coupling and how to interpret it safely

State vs trait effects: “during meditation” vs long-term training differences

Chapter 4

Designing & interpreting mindfulness brain-scan studies

Study designs used in mindfulness neuroimaging

2 subtopics

Match question → design: a quick guide (cross-sectional vs longitudinal vs RCT)

Power analysis intuition: why many mindfulness imaging studies are underpowered

Controls, placebo, and expectancy effects in meditation trials

1 subtopics

Active vs waitlist controls: what each can and can’t rule out

Confounds in meditation scanning: motion, breathing, heart rate, sleepiness, instruction effects

Statistics essentials for reading brain-scan mindfulness claims

3 subtopics

Effect sizes and confidence intervals: how big is the mindfulness–brain effect?

Variance and reliability: why measurement noise matters in neuroimaging

Meta-analysis basics: heterogeneity, publication bias, and why results may conflict

Multiple comparisons in brain maps: why correction is mandatory (FDR, cluster, etc.)

Reproducibility: preregistration, analytic flexibility, and sharing data/code

Interpretation discipline: correlation vs causation and “reverse inference” traps

Chapter 5

Applications, limitations, and ethics

Clinical applications: what brain-scan evidence does (and doesn’t) add

2 subtopics

Depression/anxiety: typical intervention targets and imaging endpoints (overview)

Stress/pain: interpreting brain changes alongside symptom changes (overview)

Education/workplace/wellbeing uses: what outcomes are measured and why it’s contentious

Limits of inference: why brain scans rarely prove “mindfulness rewires your brain”

Neuroethics: consent, privacy, stigma, and responsible communication of results

Equity, culture, and accessibility: who gets studied and who benefits

Safety: adverse effects, screening, and when mindfulness may not be appropriate

Chapter 6

Capstone: explain a mindfulness brain-scan paper

↗ Brain anatomy and large-scale networks used in mindfulness papers (see Chapter 2)

↗ Statistics essentials for reading brain-scan mindfulness claims (see Chapter 4)

Read neuroimaging figures like a pro (fMRI maps, EEG plots, connectivity graphs)

2 subtopics

Figure checklist: contrasts, baselines, ROIs, color bars, thresholds, and units

Methods checklist: motion control, preprocessing summary, and correction for multiple comparisons

Translate jargon → plain language: write a 200-word “what this study shows” summary

Critique toolkit: assess validity and reporting quality

2 subtopics

Validity threats checklist: expectancy, selection bias, demand effects, and confounds

Reporting checklist: key items a strong mindfulness neuroimaging paper should include

Mini-project: pick one mindfulness neuroimaging paper and present a 5-slide evidence summary