scholarly journals The Effects of Brief Mindfulness Training on Attentional Processes: Mindfulness Increases Prepulse Facilitation but Not Prepulse Inhibition

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ole Åsli ◽  
Marta F. Johansen ◽  
Ida Solhaug
Keyword(s):  
Prepulse Inhibition ◽  
Startle Response ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Attention Regulation ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Startle Magnitude ◽  
Automatic Attention ◽  
Prepulse Facilitation

Mindfulness is intentional focus of one’s attention on emotions, thoughts, or sensations occurring in the present moment with a nonjudgmental attitude. Recently there has been increased interest in the effects of mindfulness practice on psychological processes such as concentration, focus, and attention. In the present study, a prepulse inhibition/facilitation (PPI/PPF) paradigm was employed to investigate the effect of brief mindfulness practice on automatic attention regulation processes. PPI occurs when a relatively weak prepulse (e.g., a tone) is presented 30–500 ms before a startle-inducing stimulus, and reduces the magnitude of the startle response. Prepulse facilitation (PPF) is the increase in startle magnitude when the prepulse is presented 500 ms or more before the startle-eliciting stimulus. In the present study, the effect of engaging in a 23-min mindfulness exercise on PPI and PPF was investigated. Participants listened to either a mindfulness instruction (mindfulness group) or relaxing music (control group). In a PPI/PPF pretest and posttest, a startle-eliciting noise was presented at lead intervals of 60, 120, and 2,000 ms. Results showed that engaging in brief mindfulness practice increased prepulse facilitation at the 2,000 ms lead interval in the posttest compared to the pretest. The amount of PPI did not differ between tests.

Mindfulness-based Online Training Increases Well-being and Decreases Stress After Covid-19 Lockdown (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Bossi ◽  
Francesca Zaninotto ◽  
Sonia D’Arcangelo ◽  
Nicola Lattanzi ◽  
Andrea Patricelli Malizia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Mindfulness Practice ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Expressive Suppression

BACKGROUND Mindfulness practice consists of “paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment”. Mindfulness training was shown to be effective in improving well-being and reducing perceived stress in several conditions. These effects were also found in online mindfulness-based training, especially on employees in organizational environments. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of online mindfulness training on healthy employees especially after the first Italian Covid-19 lockdown, when the measures to prevent contagion were loosened, but the second wave was starting again to emerge. METHODS Participants in the training group underwent an 8-week mindfulness training based on the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) protocol compared to a control (no-intervention) group. A new practice was presented each week by two trainers, who were also available for Q&A on a weekly basis. All participants filled in weekly surveys for the whole training duration via online questionnaires to measure their habits, mindfulness (FFMQ-15), emotion regulation (ERQ), positive and negative affect (PANAS), depression, anxiety and stress (DASS-21), resilience (RSA) and insomnia (ISI). 46 participants in the training group and 54 in the control group completed at least half of the weekly questionnaires and were considered in the longitudinal analyses. RESULTS We found significant differences between the training and control groups over time in the measures of mindfulness (in particular the nonreactivity subscale), positive affect, depression, and insomnia. Moreover, we found that the frequency of practice and ease perceived in practicing were positively correlated to several indices of well-being (mindfulness, positive affect, cognitive reappraisal) and negatively correlated to several indices of stress (negative affect, depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia, expressive suppression). CONCLUSIONS These results show the importance and effectiveness of online mindfulness training to cope with stress among employees, especially after the Covid-19 lockdown, a period of great uncertainties and psychological tension.

Structural brain correlates of prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response in healthy humans

NeuroImage ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 1052-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veena Kumari ◽  
Elena Antonova ◽  
Elizabeth Zachariah ◽  
Adrian Galea ◽  
Ingrid Aasen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prepulse Inhibition ◽  
Startle Response ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Healthy Humans ◽  
Brain Correlates ◽  
Structural Brain

Iron deficiency affects acoustic startle response and latency, but not prepulse inhibition in young adult rats

2006 ◽  
Vol 87 (5) ◽  
pp. 917-924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maggie S. Burhans ◽  
Catherine Dailey ◽  
Jason Wiesinger ◽  
Laura E. Murray-Kolb ◽  
Byron C. Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Adult ◽  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Prepulse Inhibition ◽  
Startle Response ◽  
Acoustic Startle ◽  
Acoustic Startle Response ◽  
Adult Rats

scholarly journals Effects of stress on human mating preferences: stressed individuals prefer dissimilar mates

2010 ◽  
Vol 277 (1691) ◽  
pp. 2175-2183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Lass-Hennemann ◽  
Christian E. Deuter ◽  
Linn K. Kuehl ◽  
André Schulz ◽  
Terry D. Blumenthal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cold Pressor Test ◽  
Cold Pressor ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Procedure ◽  
Approach Motivation ◽  
Presentation Of Self ◽  
Mating Preferences ◽  
Startle Magnitude ◽  
Effects Of Stress ◽  
Human Mating

Although humans usually prefer mates that resemble themselves, mating preferences can vary with context. Stress has been shown to alter mating preferences in animals, but the effects of stress on human mating preferences are unknown. Here, we investigated whether stress alters men's preference for self-resembling mates. Participants first underwent a cold-pressor test (stress induction) or a control procedure. Then, participants viewed either neutral pictures or pictures of erotic female nudes whose facial characteristics were computer-modified to resemble either the participant or another participant, or were not modified, while startle eyeblink responses were elicited by noise probes. Erotic pictures were rated as being pleasant, and reduced startle magnitude compared with neutral pictures. In the control group, startle magnitude was smaller during foreground presentation of photographs of self-resembling female nudes compared with other-resembling female nudes and non-manipulated female nudes, indicating a higher approach motivation to self-resembling mates. In the stress group, startle magnitude was larger during foreground presentation of self-resembling female nudes compared with other-resembling female nudes and non-manipulated female nudes, indicating a higher approach motivation to dissimilar mates. Our findings show that stress affects human mating preferences: unstressed individuals showed the expected preference for similar mates, but stressed individuals seem to prefer dissimilar mates.

Relation of sex and estrous phase to deficits in prepulse inhibition of the startle response induced by ecstasy (MDMA)

2005 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Buben??kov?? ◽  
M. Votava ◽  
J. Hora????ek ◽  
T. P??len????ek
Keyword(s):  
Prepulse Inhibition ◽  
Startle Response
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