Table 2.
Experimental studies of the impact of mindfulness on reward
| Study | SUD/addictive behavior (sample size) | MBI | Control condition | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Froeliger et al89 | Tobacco use disorder | MORE (ten 2-hour sessions) | No treatment | Compared to the comparison group, MORE participants demonstrated decreased BOLD response in ventral striatum (vs) and ventral prefrontal cortex (vPFC) during a craving regulation task and increased positive BOLD signal in vs and vPFC during an emotion regulation task. |
| Garland et al86 | Opioid misuse among chronic pain patients (N=69) | MORE: 8 weekly, 2-hour group sessions | Support Group: 8 weekly, 2-hour, therapist-led social support groups based on the Matrix model IOP treatment manual | MORE participants demonstrated significantly greater reductions in opioid cue-reactivity on the dot probe task, enhancement in heart rate deceleration during attention to pleasure cues, and increases in HR variability from rest during emotional attention to pleasure cues. |
| Carroll et al96 | Opioid misuse among chronic pain patients (N=29) | MORE: 8 weekly, 2-hour group sessions | Support Group: 8 weekly, 2-hour group sessions | Participation in MORE was associated with significant increases in LPP response to natural reward stimuli relative to neutral stimuli. |
| Kober et al98 | Alcohol use disorder (N=53) | MORE: 10 weekly, 2-hour group sessions | Support Group: 10 weekly, therapist-led social support groups based on the Matrix model IOP tx manual | MORE participants demonstrated a significantly greater reduction in alcohol attentional bias and improvement in physiological recovery from alcohol cues after treatment when compared to support group participants. |
| Paz et al97 | Opioid misuse among chronic pain patients (N=51) | MORE: 8 weekly, 2-hour group sessions | Support Group: 8 weekly, 2-hours group sessions | Compared to the support group, MORE participants demonstrated significantly greater increases in responsiveness to natural reward cues relative to drug cues. |
Abbreviations: SUD, substance use disorder; MBI, mindfulness-based interventions; MORE, mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement; BOLD, blood oxygen level dependent; LPP, late positive potential; IOP, intensive outpatient treatment.