Mindfulness Meditation May Benefit Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

A pilot study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease suggests mindfulness meditation may help older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), reports Psych Central . Mindfulness entails maintaining a moment-by-moment, non-judgmental cognizance of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and surroundings. "Our study showed promising evidence that adults with MCI can learn to practice mindfulness meditation, and by doing so may boost their cognitive reserve," said Wake Forest School of Medicine's Professor Rebecca Erwin Wells. She added that practical application of mindfulness meditation "requires complex cognitive processes, discipline, and commitment." The team enlisted 14 men and women between 55 and 90 diagnosed with MCI, and randomized them to either an eight-week course involving mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) plus yoga, or a control group on a waiting list. The nine subjects who completed the MBSR program exhibited improved measures of cognition and well-being, and signs of positive effects on the hippocampus. "Most participants were able to learn the key tenets of mindfulness, demonstrating that the memory impairment of MCI does not preclude learning such skills," Wells noted.