NEURAL ASPECTS OF MINDFULNESS IN CLINICAL PATIENTS WITH PERSONALITY DISORDERS
Open Access
- Author:
- Infantolino, Zachary
- Area of Honors:
- Psychology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Kenneth N. Levy, Thesis Supervisor
Kenneth N. Levy, Thesis Supervisor
Kenneth N. Levy, Thesis Honors Advisor
William Ray, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- borderline personality disorder
electroencephalography
asymmetry
Mindfulness
major depressive disorder - Abstract:
- Mindfulness is a heightened awareness and acceptance of the present moment without judgment or reaction. Deficits in mindfulness have been shown as a core mechanism in a number of clinical disorders including personality disorders and major depressive disorder. Therapies aimed at improving mindfulness, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for BPD and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for MDD, have been shown to be effect treatments for these disorders. The present study set out to investigate the neural correlates of mindfulness in a clinical sample after a social exclusion task. We hypothesized that greater levels of mindfulness would be associated with less prefrontal asymmetry after a simulated social exclusion. Participants completed a self-report measure to assess their level of mindfulness. After participating in a simulated social rejection task, electroencephalography (EEG) data was collected to calculate prefrontal asymmetry. Using correlation analysis, a negative significant relationship was found between prefrontal asymmetry and the nonjudging subscale of the mindfulness questionnaire; r(10) = -.59, p = .05. A negative trend was found between prefrontal asymmetry and the nonreacting subscale; r(10) = -.54, p = .07. Results suggest that the more mindful a person is, the less likely they are to react, as exhibited by prefrontal asymmetry, to a social rejection. Future research should utilize informant and therapist rated measures of mindfulness.