METHODS: We randomly divided 56 meditation-naïve participants into FAM and control groups. After the first rsfMRI scan, each group performed a 10-minute each condition while wearing a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device for assessing brain activity. Subsequently, following a second rsfMRI scan, the participants completed a fatigue-inducing task (a Go/NoGo task) for 60 min. We evaluated the temporal changes in the Go/NoGo task performance of participants as an indicator of state fatigue. We then calculated changes in the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the rsfMRI from before to after each condition and compared them between groups. We also evaluated neural correlates between the changes in rsFC and state fatigue.
CONCLUSIONS: The fNIRS measurements indicated differences in brain activity during each condition between the FAM and control groups, showing decreased medial prefrontal cortex activity and decreased functional connectivity between the medial prefrontal cortex and middle frontal gyrus. The control group exhibited a decrement in Go/NoGo task performance over time, whereas the FAM group did not. These results, thus, suggested that FAM could prevent state fatigue. Compared with the control group, the rsFC analysis revealed a significant increase in the connectivity between the left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and right superior parietal lobule in the FAM group, suggesting a modification of attention regulation by cognitive effort. In the control group, increased connectivity was observed between the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex and left inferior occipital gyrus, which might be associated with poor attention regulation and reduced higher-order cognitive function. Additionally, the change in the rsFC of the control group was related to state fatigue.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that one session of 10-minute FAM could prevent behavioral state fatigue by employing cognitive effort to modify attention regulation as well as suppressing poor attention regulation and reduced higher-order cognitive function.
方法:我们将56名冥想参与者随机分为FAM组和对照组。第一次rsfMRI扫描后,每组在每种情况下进行10分钟,同时佩戴功能性近红外光谱(fNIRS)装置以评估脑活动.随后,在第二次rsfMRI扫描之后,参与者完成了60分钟的疲劳诱导任务(Go/NoGo任务)。我们评估了参与者Go/NoGo任务表现的时间变化,作为状态疲劳的指标。然后,我们计算了rsfMRI从每种情况前后的静息状态功能连通性(rsFC)的变化,并在组间进行了比较。我们还评估了rsFC变化与状态疲劳之间的神经相关性。
结论:fNIRS测量表明FAM组和对照组在每种情况下脑活动的差异,显示内侧前额叶皮层活动减少,内侧前额叶皮层和中额回之间的功能连接减少。对照组的Go/NoGo任务性能随着时间的推移而下降,而FAM组没有。这些结果,因此,建议FAM可以预防状态疲劳。与对照组相比,rsFC分析显示FAM组左侧背内侧前额叶皮质与右侧顶叶上小叶的连通性显著增加,建议通过认知努力来改变注意力调节。在对照组中,双侧后扣带皮质和左侧枕下回之间的连通性增加,这可能与注意力调节不良和高阶认知功能降低有关。此外,对照组rsFC的变化与状态疲劳有关。
结论:我们的研究结果表明,一次10分钟的FAM可以通过使用认知努力来改变注意力调节以及抑制不良的注意力调节和降低高阶认知功能来预防行为状态疲劳。