The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if mindfulness meditation can improve outcomes in older adults with and without cognitive impairment. The main questions it aims to answer are:
1. How does mindfulness impact thinking and memory? 2. How does mindfulness influence brain function and structure? 3. How does mindfulness affect daily function and quality of life?
Researchers will compare all outcomes to one other groups. In one group, individuals will participate in a mindfulness class intervention; in the other group, individuals will not engage in any active interventions immediately, but will be placed on a waitlist for the mindfulness intervention. Researchers will compare all outcomes between the groups groups to determine whether the mindfulness interventions leads to greater improvement compared to no intervention (waitlist group).
Participants will:
* Be randomly assigned to participate in the mindfulness intervention, or no immediate intervention (waitlist) * Complete paper-and-pencil cognitive testing, surveys, computerized tasks, and neuroimaging measures (EEG and MRI) before and after the intervention
Outcomes will be assess at baseline, 2 months, 4 months and 6 months.
Healthy older adults will show cognitive performance within 1.0 SD for age & education adjusted norms on a neuropsychological test battery
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participants will show performance on delayed recall or one more or more other cognitive domains worse than 1.5 SD for age & education adjusted norms, an MMSE score between 25-30, and a MoCA score between 20-30.
Participants without a computer, smart phone and internet access will be excluded
If they cannot understand the informed consent form or have moderate dementia.
Mood disorders (e.g., PTSD, depression, anxiety) or alcohol and drug use that either interferes with day-to-day life or required hospitalization within the past 5 years
Cerebrovascular disease
Parallel
Mindfulness Intervention
BehavioralThe Mindfulness Intervention is an adapted form of Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training virtual class that meets for 10 weeks. The class involves mindfulness training using awareness and focused attention, group discussion of the experience, and mindful movement. The Mindfulness Intervention also includes daily home practice using mindfulness recordings.
Waitlist then mindfulness
BehavioralParticipants in this arm will first wait 10 weeks and then complete a mindfulness course with outcome measures assessed at baseline, after 10 weeks wait list and then after mindfulness course.
Neuropsychological tests
Paper-and-pencil tests measuring attention, processing speed, and memory.
Performance on computerized tasks
Reaction time and accuracy on computer tasks measuring attention and memory
Resting state and event-related electrophysiology
Electrophysiology measured while at rest and time-locked to performance on a computerized task measuring attention and memory
Brain function and structure
Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) for functional magnetic resonance imaging. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for structural magnetic resonance imaging.
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