Mindfulness and Brain Training: A New Hope for Teens Who Faced Early Struggles

Teens who had tough starts in life often struggle with managing their emotions. Their brains work differently, especially in areas that help them understand and control their feelings. A recent study explored if mindfulness, combined with brain training, could help these teens.

The Study

The study involved two groups: teens who faced early adversity and those who didn't. They all tried a special kind of brain training using real-time fMRI scans. This training focused on a part of the brain called the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC).

The Task

The teens were asked to do three things during the scans:

• Focus on their breath
• Describe their thoughts
• Rest

The goal was to see if they could lower the activity in their PCC while focusing on their breath. The teens who faced early adversity were split into two groups: one got real feedback, and the other got fake feedback.

The Results

After the training, all teens reported feeling more mindful. The teens who faced early adversity also felt better emotionally and less stressed. However, there was no difference between those who got real feedback and those who got fake feedback.

The Conclusion

This suggests that mindfulness training can help teens who faced early adversity, but adding brain feedback might not make a big difference. The study also confirmed that the PCC is an important area to target for treatment.