Fig. 4: One session of mbNF induced state mindfulness change.

A Higher increase in state mindfulness after mbNF was associated with more decrease in sgACC-MPFC functional connectivity (computed using an averaged timecourse across all voxels in the significant MPFC cluster from Fig. 3A). All participants had a lifetime history of MDD and/or anxiety. Patients with current diagnoses are labeled with a diamond for having comorbid anxiety and depression (“MDD + anx”) and a triangle for having anxiety only (“anx”). Participants with previous diagnoses only are shown as circles. B Reduction in sgACC-MPFC connectivity fully mediated the association between better neurofeedback performance and increase in state mindfulness. Arrows indicate paths and path values indicate standardized beta weights. The upper panel shows the total effect (unmediated path c, total effect) from neurofeedback performance to state mindfulness change. In the lower panel, the effect of neurofeedback performance on state mindfulness change is fully mediated by the change in sgACC-MPFC functional connectivity. The direct effect of neurofeedback performance to state mindfulness change is indicated by path c’ and the indirect effect is indicated by the ab path (i.e., path a*path b). p < 0.05.