Effects of mindfulness and psychoeducation on working memory in adult ADHD: A randomised, controlled fMRI study.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to investigate the effects of an 8-week mindfulness intervention (MAP) on working memory and ADHD symptoms in adults with ADHD, compared to psychoeducation (PE).
Results Summary
Both mindfulness and psychoeducation groups showed significant reductions in ADHD symptoms and improvements in task performance, with no group differences. Mindfulness specifically increased brain activation in regions like the right parietal lobe, bilateral inferior parietal lobule, and right precuneus.
Population
Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
8 weeks
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mindfulness | neutral | adult ADHD | adults with ADHD | - | is a promising intervention | #1 |
mindfulness intervention (MAP) | decrease | ADHD symptoms | adults with ADHD | - | significant decrease | #2 |
mindfulness intervention (MAP) | increase | task performance | adults with ADHD | - | significant improvement | #3 |
psychoeducation (PE) | decrease | ADHD symptoms | adults with ADHD | - | significant decrease | #4 |
psychoeducation (PE) | increase | task performance | adults with ADHD | - | significant improvement | #5 |
mindfulness intervention (MAP) | increase | task-related activation | adults with ADHD | - | significant increase | #6 |
mindfulness intervention (MAP) | increase | brain activation | adults with ADHD | - | significant increased | #7 |
mindfulness intervention (MAP) | decrease | self-rated 'Inattention/Memory Problems' | adults with ADHD | - | decrease | #8 |
Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a serious mental disorder associated with impaired neurocognitive performance related to working memory function. Recent clinical trials have suggested that mindfulness is a promising intervention in adults with ADHD. We performed a randomised controlled clinical trial to investigate working memory (WM) with an n-back task in adults with ADHD during fMRI before and after an 8-week mindfulness intervention (MAP) compared with psychoeducation (PE). ADHD symptoms were assessed using the self- and observer-rated Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS). The complete pre-post data of 21 MAP and 19 PE participants were analysed. We found no group difference in ADHD symptoms or task performance at the pre-measurement, but there was a significant decrease in ADHD symptoms and significant improvement in task performance in both groups at the post-measurement. Furthermore, we found a significant increase in task-related activation in the right parietal lobe, with no difference between groups. Exploratory two-sample paired t-tests revealed significant increased brain activation after MAP in the bilateral inferior parietal lobule, right posterior insula and right precuneus. A decrease in self-rated 'Inattention/Memory Problems' after MAP compared to baseline was associated with stronger activation in parts of the left putamen, globus pallidus and thalamus.