The circuitry that supports our conscious and subconscious awareness of internal bodily sensations—may be factors in depression and anxiety. Specifically, it has been proposed that in depression and anxiety disorders, some individuals may misinterpret internal bodily signals such as heartbeat or breathing sensations, misperceptions that in turn may be involved in symptoms such as withdrawal and avoidance. individual awareness of internal bodily states—via a strengthening of connectivity within the brain network that processes interception, young people might more accurately interpret interoceptive signals, perhaps yielding better engagement with other people and the surrounding environment. Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present, of observing one’s thoughts and feelings without judging them. Mindfulness practices involve closely attending to the body and breathing,” the team noted in its paper, appearing in Frontiers in Psychology. Such practices, they said, “may remodel large-scale brain networks adolescent depression by targeting neurocircuitry involved in adolescent development and depression, including the striatum and regions involved in interception. A 12-week intervention, TARA incorporates mindfulness-based practices including breathing techniques, yoga-based movements, guided meditation (such as interoceptive/sensory awareness practices called “body scans”), and psychoeducation. Adolescence is a vulnerable neurodevelopmental phase with significantly increased risk for development of mental health disorders. It is also “an ideal period” in which to intervene, they said, due to the increase in neural plasticity that characterizes the adolescent years, presenting the possibility of inducing greater changes in brain networks compared with later periods of life.
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Friday, September 20, 2024