Mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention during pregnancy changes maternal brain.

Fàtima Crispi, Teresa Oller-Guzmán, Noelia Encabo, Benedetta Gambosi, Allegra Conti, Rosa Casas, Ramon Estruch, Eduard Vieta, Francesca Crovetto, Nicola Toschi, Sara Castro-Barquero, Yvan Gomez, Anabel Martínez-Àran, Ivette Morilla, Ayako Nakaki, Eduard Gratacos, Leticia Benitez, Mariona Genero, Lina Youssef, Irene Casas, Andrés Martín-Asuero, Nuria Bargallo

Journal: Scientific reports 2025;15(1):21929

PMID: 40596371

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Plain Language Summary

Pregnancy is being recognised as a more stressful period of life than previously thought. Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a Buddhist meditation that aims to improve mindfulness and has been studied in chronic pain, hypertension, anxiety, and depressive disorders. However it is unclear how MBSR may affect the maternal brain. This secondary analysis of the randomised control trial IMPACT BCN, which allocated 76 pregnant women to MBSR or usual care for 8-weeks aimed to evaluate to the effect of MBSR on mindfulness during pregnancy on the brain.

The results showed that women in the mindfulness group had a larger surface area in a specific part of the brain involved in emotional regulation and self-awareness and self-control compared to those who received usual care. Additionally, they showed higher levels of myo-inositol, a substance linked to brain health.

These findings suggest that mindfulness practices during pregnancy may lead to measurable changes in brain structure and metabolism. This study could be used by healthcare professionals to understand the potential benefits of mindfulness interventions for pregnant women.

Abstract

Our aim is to evaluate the effect of a structured stress reduction intervention based on mindfulness during pregnancy on the maternal brain. We report a secondary analysis of IMPACT BCN, a randomized clinical trial including pregnant women randomly allocated to 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (n = 41) or usual care (without any intervention, n = 35). Maternal magnetic resonance (MR) was performed in the third trimester, cluster-wise analysis was used to assess cortical morphometric differences, and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) to evaluate the metabolic characteristics. Mindfulness status was evaluated using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Results showed that participants from Stress reduction group had significantly larger surface areas in the right superior frontal region as compared to the Usual care group (90%CI: 0.023-0.029, p = 0.03). TheH-MRS revealed that Stress reduction group participants, had higher concentrations of myo-inositol (adjusted mean difference D 0.37 mol/L, 95%CI 0.05-0.69) as compared to Usual care. Participants who had high mindfulness on FFMQ facets of non-judgmental (D 358.5 mm, 95%CI 53.5-663.6) and non-reactivity (D 362.3 mm, 95%CI 18.8-705.7) had larger right superior frontal area. In conclusion, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program during pregnancy has a significant effect on maternal brain structure and is associated with metabolite concentration changes.

Address: BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. [email protected].; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain. [email protected].; BCNatal (Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and Hospital Clínic), Universitat de Barcelona, Carrer Sabino de Arana 1, Barcelona, 08036, Spain. [email protected].; Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.; BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut de Recerca en Nutrició i Seguretat Alimentaria (INSA-UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.; Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.; NearLab, Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering (DEIB), Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.; BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.; BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.; BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.; Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Hospital Clinic/Universitat de Barcelona Campus, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut de Recerca en Nutrició i Seguretat Alimentaria (INSA-UB), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.; Department of Internal Medicine Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Instituto esMindfulness, Barcelona, Spain.; Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clinic, Neuroscience Institute, IDIBAPS, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.; Radiology Department, Center of Image Diagnostic, Facultad de Medicina, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.; Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.; Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.; Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clinic, Neuroscience Institute, IDIBAPS, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.; BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.; Centre for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Barcelona, Spain.; BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.; Centre for Biomedical Research on Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Barcelona, Spain.; BCNatal Fetal Medicine Research Center (Hospital Clínic and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu), Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain.; Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-07787-9