qMRI based investigation of neuronal brain changes following mindfulness practice in a population with sleep disorders

Motivation: Provide evidence for the positive effect of Mindfulness on sleep quality, and investigate the corresponding neuronal changes in the white matter. Goal(s): Quantify the improvement in sleep quality following Mindfulness meditation in subjects suffering from sleep disorders, and correlate these to change in quantitative T1, T2 and proton-density values. Approach: Meditation naïve subjects underwent MRI scans and filled sleep-quality questionnaires before and after participating in an 8-week MBSR course. Waitlist control group was scanned at the same time-points without intervention. Results: Sleep quality improved significantly in the MBSR group, compared to controls. No changes were observed in qMRI values in the white matter. Impact: Discover the psychological-physiological mechanism underlying the improvement of sleep following mindfulness practice; introduce new ways to study the effects of mindfulness; advance better and more personalized treatment plans for insomnia/sleep disorders.