scholarly journals Mindfulness related changes in grey matter: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril R. Pernet ◽  
Nikolai Belov ◽  
Arnaud Delorme ◽  
Alison Zammit
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
The Right ◽  
Meta Analyses

AbstractKnowing target regions undergoing strfuncti changes caused by behavioural interventions is paramount in evaluating the effectiveness of such practices. Here, using a systematic review approach, we identified 25 peer-reviewed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrating grey matter changes related to mindfulness meditation. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis (n = 16) revealed the right anterior ventral insula as the only significant region with consistent effect across studies, whilst an additional functional connectivity analysis indicates that both left and right insulae, and the anterior cingulate gyrus with adjacent paracingulate gyri should also be considered in future studies. Statistical meta-analyses suggest medium to strong effect sizes from Cohen’s d ~ 0.8 in the right insula to ~ 1 using maxima across the whole brain. The systematic review revealed design issues with selection, information, attrition and confirmation biases, in addition to weak statistical power. In conclusion, our analyses show that mindfulness meditation practice does induce grey matter changes but also that improvements in methodology are needed to establish mindfulness as a therapeutic intervention.

scholarly journals Mindfulness related changes in grey matter: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cyril R. Pernet ◽  
Nikolai Belov ◽  
Arnaud Delorme ◽  
Alison Zammit
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Mindfulness Meditation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
The Right ◽  
Meta Analyses

AbstractKnowing target regions undergoing structural changes caused by behavioural interventions is paramount in evaluating the effectiveness of such practices. Here, using a systematic review approach, we identified 25 peer-reviewed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies demonstrating grey matter changes related to mindfulness meditation. An activation likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis (n=16) revealed the right anterior ventral insula as the only significant region with consistent effect across studies, whilst an additional functional connectivity analysis indicates that both left and right insulae, and the anterior cingulate gyrus with adjacent paracingulate gyri should also be considered in future studies. Statistical meta-analyses suggest medium to strong effect sizes from Cohen’s d ∼0.8 in the right insula to ∼1 using maxima across the whole brain. The systematic review revealed design issues with selection, information, attrition and confirmation biases, in addition to weak statistical power. In conclusion, our analyses show that mindfulness meditation practice does induce grey matter changes but also that improvements in methodology are needed to establish mindfulness as a therapeutic intervention.

scholarly journals Grey matter abnormalities in Tourette syndrome: an activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Wen ◽  
Junjuan Yan ◽  
Liping Yu ◽  
Fang Wang ◽  
Jingran Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tourette Syndrome ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Activation Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Lentiform Nucleus ◽  
Postcentral Gyrus

Abstract Background Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by the continual presence of primary motor and vocal tics. Grey matter abnormalities have been identified in numerous studies of TS, but conflicting results have been reported. This study was an unbiased statistical meta-analysis of published neuroimaging studies of TS structures. Methods A voxel quantitative meta-analysis technique called activation likelihood estimation (ALE) was used. The meta-analysis included six neuroimaging studies involving 247 TS patients and 236 healthy controls. A statistical threshold of p < 0.05 was established based on the false discovery rate and a cluster extent threshold of 50 voxels. Results We found that grey matter volumes were significantly increased in the bilateral thalamus, right hypothalamus, right precentral gyrus, left postcentral gyrus, left inferior parietal lobule, right lentiform nucleus, and left insula of TS patients compared to those of healthy controls. In contrast, grey matter volumes were significantly decreased in the bilateral postcentral gyrus, bilateral anterior cingulate, bilateral insula, left posterior cingulate and left postcentral gyrus of TS patients compared to those of healthy controls. Conclusions Our present meta-analysis primarily revealed significant increases in grey matter volumes in the thalamus and lentiform nucleus, and decreased grey matter volumes in the anterior cingulate gyrus, of TS patients compared to those in healthy controls. Most of these identified regions are associated with cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm these changes in grey matter volumes in TS patients.

scholarly journals Brain grey matter abnormalities in medication-free patients with major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (14) ◽  
pp. 2927-2937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y.-J. Zhao ◽  
M.-Y. Du ◽  
X.-Q. Huang ◽  
S. Lui ◽  
Z.-Q. Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depressive Disorder ◽  
Depressive Disorder ◽  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Grey Matter ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Meta Regression ◽  
Meta Analyses

BackgroundBecause cerebral morphological abnormalities in major depressive disorder (MDD) may be modulated by antidepressant treatment, inclusion of medicated patients may have biased previous meta-analyses of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies. A meta-analysis of VBM studies on medication-free MDD patients should be able to distinguish the morphological features of the disease itself from those of treatment.MethodA systematic search was conducted for the relevant studies. Effect-size signed differential mapping was applied to analyse the grey matter differences between all medication-free MDD patients and healthy controls. Meta-regression was used to explore the effects of demographics and clinical characteristics.ResultsA total of 14 datasets comprising 400 medication-free MDD patients and 424 healthy controls met the inclusion criteria. The pooled meta-analysis and subgroup meta-analyses showed robustly reduced grey matter in prefrontal and limbic regions in MDD. Increased right thalamus volume was only seen in first-episode medication-naive patients, and increased grey matter in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex only in medication wash-out patients. In meta-regression analyses the percentage of female patients in each study was negatively correlated with reduced grey matter in the right hippocampus.ConclusionsBy excluding interference from medication effects, the present study identified grey matter reduction in the prefrontal–limbic network in MDD. The subgroup meta-analysis results suggest that an increased right thalamus volume might be a trait directly related to MDD, while an increased anterior cingulate cortex volume might be an effect of medication. The meta-regression results perhaps reveal the structural underpinning of the sex differences in epidemiological and clinical aspects of MDD.

scholarly journals P-P39 Perioperative Interventions to Reduce Pancreatic Fistula following Pancreaticoduodenectomy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_9) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Halle-Smith ◽  
Rupaly Pande ◽  
Lewis Hall ◽  
James Hodson ◽  
Keith J Roberts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Pancreatic Fistula ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Fundamental Problem ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Randomised Controlled ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Pancreatic Duct Drainage

Abstract Background Many studies evaluate interventions to reduce POPF following PD, but often report conflicting results. Previous meta-analyses have generally included non-randomised trials and not considered novel interventions.  Aim To evaluate interventions to reduce postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF) following pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) with level 1 data. Methods A systematic review and meta-analysis assessed randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating interventions to reduce All-POPF or clinically relevant (CR)-POPF after PD. A post-hoc analysis of negative RCTs assessed whether these had appropriate levels of statistical power. Results Among 22 interventions (n = 7,512 patients, 55 studies), 12 were assessed by multiple studies, and subject to meta-analysis. Of these, external pancreatic duct drainage was the only intervention found to be associated with significantly reduced rates of CR- and all-POPF. In addition, Ulinastatin was associated with significantly reduced rates of CR-POPF, whilst invagination (vs duct to mucosa) pancreatojejunostomy was associated with significantly reduced rates of all-POPF. Review of negative RCTs found the majority to be underpowered, with post-hoc power calculations indicating that interventions would need to reduce the POPF rate to ≤ 1% in order to achieve 80% power in 16/34 (All-POPF) and 19/25 (CR-POPF) studies, respectively.   Conclusions Meta-analysis supports a role for several interventions to reduce POPF after PD, although data is often inconsistent and/or based on small trials. Systematic review identifies other interventions which may benefit from further study. However, underpowered trials appear to be a fundamental problem, inherently more so with CR-POPF. Larger trials, or new directions for research are required to further understanding in this field. 

scholarly journals Rediscovering the musician’s brain: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Criscuolo ◽  
Victor Pando-Naude ◽  
Leonardo Bonetti ◽  
Peter Vuust ◽  
Elvira Brattico
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Musical Training ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Functional Anatomy ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Qualitative Synthesis ◽  
Musical Expertise ◽  
Meta Analyses

AbstractMusical expertise is a model of neuroplasticity associated with pervasive, long-lasting training effects. Indeed, decades of cognitive neuroscience widely investigated brain functional and structural changes associated with musical training, providing a widespread and variegated set of findings. However, several controversial results emerged, leading the neuroscientific community to lack a well-defined neuro-functional-anatomy of musical expertise. Here, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of publications investigating brain functional and structural differences between musicians and non-musicians. Eighty-four publications were included in the qualitative synthesis. Coordinate-based meta-analyses were conducted using the anatomic/activation likelihood estimation (ALE) method implemented in GingerALE, with a total of 675 foci, 79 experiments and 2780 participants. Results showed a widespread and complex array of functional and structural changes in musicians’ brains, revealing for the first time a comprehensive picture of the brain plasticity associated with musical training.

scholarly journals Shared and distinct functional networks for empathy and pain processing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of fMRI studies

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 709-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Fallon ◽  
Carl Roberts ◽  
Andrej Stancak
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Pain Processing ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Midcingulate Cortex ◽  
Nociceptive Processing

Abstract Background Empathy for pain is a complex phenomenon incorporating sensory, cognitive and affective processes. Functional neuroimaging studies indicate a rich network of brain activations for empathic processing. However, previous research focused on core activations in bilateral anterior insula (AI) and anterior cingulate/anterior midcingulate cortex (ACC/aMCC) which are also typically present during nociceptive (pain) processing. Theoretical understanding of empathy would benefit from empirical investigation of shared and contrasting brain activations for empathic and nociceptive processing. Method Thirty-nine empathy for observed pain studies (1112 participants; 527 foci) were selected by systematic review. Coordinate based meta-analysis (activation likelihood estimation) was performed and novel contrast analyses compared neurobiological processing of empathy with a comprehensive meta-analysis of 180 studies of nociceptive processing (Tanasescu et al., 2016). Results Conjunction analysis indicated overlapping activations for empathy and nociception in AI, aMCC, somatosensory and inferior frontal regions. Contrast analysis revealed increased likelihood of activation for empathy, relative to nociception, in bilateral supramarginal, inferior frontal and occipitotemporal regions. Nociception preferentially activated bilateral posterior insula, somatosensory cortex and aMCC. Conclusion Our findings support the likelihood of shared and distinct neural networks for empathic, relative to nociceptive, processing. This offers succinct empirical support for recent tiered or modular theoretical accounts of empathy.

scholarly journals A Topical and Methodological Systematic Review of Meta-Analyses Published in the Educational Measurement Literature

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Rios ◽  
Samuel Ihlenfeldt ◽  
Michael Dosedel ◽  
Amy Riegelman
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Educational Measurement ◽  
Test Accommodations ◽  
Evidence Based Practices ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Operational Testing ◽  
Format Effects ◽  
Meta Analyses

This systematic review investigated the topics studied and reporting practices of published meta-analyses in educational measurement. Our findings indicated that meta-analysis is not a highly utilized methodological tool in educational measurement, as on average, less than one meta-analysis has been published per year over the last 30 years (28 meta-analyses were published between 1986 to 2016). Within the field, researchers have utilized meta-analysis to study three primary subject areas: test format effects, test accommodations, and predictive validity of operational testing programs. In regard to reporting practices, authors often failed to provide descriptive details of both their search strategy and sample characteristics limiting reproducibility and generalizability of findings, respectively. Furthermore, diagnostic analyses of outliers, publication bias, and statistical power were not provided for the majority of studies, putting into question the validity of inferences made from the meta-analyses sampled. The lack of transparent and replicable practices of meta-analyses in educational measurement are concerns for generating credible research syntheses that can assist the field in improving evidence-based practices. Recommendations are provided for improving training and editorial standards of meta-analytic research.

scholarly journals Resting State Functional Connectivity of Brain With Electroconvulsive Therapy in Depression: Meta-Analysis to Understand Its Mechanisms

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Preeti Sinha ◽  
Himanshu Joshi ◽  
Dhruva Ithal
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Activation Likelihood Estimation ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
The Right

Introduction: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a commonly used brain stimulation treatment for treatment-resistant or severe depression. This study was planned to find the effects of ECT on brain connectivity by conducting a systematic review and coordinate-based meta-analysis of the studies performing resting state fMRI (rsfMRI) in patients with depression receiving ECT.Methods: We systematically searched the databases published up to July 31, 2020, for studies in patients having depression that compared resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) before and after a course of pulse wave ECT. Meta-analysis was performed using the activation likelihood estimation method after extracting details about coordinates, voxel size, and method for correction of multiple comparisons corresponding to the significant clusters and the respective rsFC analysis measure with its method of extraction.Results: Among 41 articles selected for full-text review, 31 articles were included in the systematic review. Among them, 13 articles were included in the meta-analysis, and a total of 73 foci of 21 experiments were examined using activation likelihood estimation in 10 sets. Using the cluster-level interference method, one voxel-wise analysis with the measure of amplitude of low frequency fluctuations and one seed-voxel analysis with the right hippocampus showed a significant reduction (p &lt; 0.0001) in the left cingulate gyrus (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex) and a significant increase (p &lt; 0.0001) in the right hippocampus with the right parahippocampal gyrus, respectively. Another analysis with the studies implementing network-wise (posterior default mode network: dorsomedial prefrontal cortex) resting state functional connectivity showed a significant increase (p &lt; 0.001) in bilateral posterior cingulate cortex. There was considerable variability as well as a few key deficits in the preprocessing and analysis of the neuroimages and the reporting of results in the included studies. Due to lesser studies, we could not do further analysis to address the neuroimaging variability and subject-related differences.Conclusion: The brain regions noted in this meta-analysis are reasonably specific and distinguished, and they had significant changes in resting state functional connectivity after a course of ECT for depression. More studies with better neuroimaging standards should be conducted in the future to confirm these results in different subgroups of depression and with varied aspects of ECT.

scholarly journals The Contribution of “Individual Participant Data” Meta-Analyses of Psychotherapies for Depression to the Development of Personalized Treatments: A Systematic Review

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Pim Cuijpers ◽  
Marketa Ciharova ◽  
Soledad Quero ◽  
Clara Miguel ◽  
Ellen Driessen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Randomized Trials ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Individual Participant Data ◽  
Psychological Treatments ◽  
Gender Education ◽  
Individual Participant ◽  
Meta Analyses

While randomized trials typically lack sufficient statistical power to identify predictors and moderators of outcome, “individual participant data” (IPD) meta-analyses, which combine primary data of multiple randomized trials, can increase the statistical power to identify predictors and moderators of outcome. We conducted a systematic review of IPD meta-analyses on psychological treatments of depression to provide an overview of predictors and moderators identified. We included 10 (eight pairwise and two network) IPD meta-analyses. Six meta-analyses showed that higher baseline depression severity was associated with better outcomes, and two found that older age was associated with better outcomes. Because power was high in most IPD meta-analyses, non-significant findings are also of interest because they indicate that these variables are probably not relevant as predictors and moderators. We did not find in any IPD meta-analysis that gender, education level, or relationship status were significant predictors or moderators. This review shows that IPD meta-analyses on psychological treatments can identify predictors and moderators of treatment effects and thereby contribute considerably to the development of personalized treatments of depression.

scholarly journals The Effect of Amino Acids on Wound Healing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Arginine and Glutamine

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2498
Author(s):  
Elena Arribas-López ◽  
Nazanin Zand ◽  
Omorogieva Ojo ◽  
Martin John Snowden ◽  
Tony Kochhar
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Wound Healing ◽  
Chronic Wounds ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
Glutamine Supplementation ◽  
Metabolic Demand ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
The Right ◽  
Meta Analyses

Under stress conditions, the metabolic demand for nutrients increases, which, if not met, may slow down or indeed stop the wound from healing, thus, becoming chronic wounds. This study aims to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of arginine and glutamine supplementation on wound healing. PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were followed for the systematic review and ten electronic databases were used. Five and 39 human studies met the inclusion criteria for arginine and glutamine, respectively. The overall meta-analysis demonstrated a significant effect of arginine supplementation on hydroxyproline content (MD: 4.49, 95% CI: 3.54, 4.45, p < 0.00001). Regarding glutamine supplementation, there was significant effect on nitrogen balance levels (MD: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.21, 0.58, p < 0.0001), IL-6 levels (MD: −5.78, 95% CI: −8.71, −2.86, p = 0.0001), TNFα levels (MD: −8.15, 95% CI: −9.34, −6.96, p < 0.00001), lactulose/mannitol (L/M) ratio (MD: −0.01, 95% CI: −0.02, −0.01, p < 0.00001), patient mortality (OR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.72, p = 0.0004), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels (MD: −1.10, 95% CI: −1.26, −0.93, p < 0.00001) and length of hospital stay (LOS) (MD: −2.65, 95% CI: −3.10, −2.21, p < 0.00001). Regarding T-cell lymphocytes, a slight decrease was observed, although it failed to reach significance (MD: −0.16, 95% CI: −0.33, 0.01, p = 0.07). Conclusion: The wound healing might be enhanced in one or at various stages by nutritional supplementation in the right dose.

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