Mindfulness-based approaches show promise to improve emotional health in youth and may help treat and prevent adolescent depression and anxiety. However, there is a fundamental gap in understanding the neural reorganization that takes place as a result of such interventions. The Training for Awareness, Resilience, and Action (TARA) program, initially developed for depressed adolescents, uses a framework drawn from neuroscience, mindfulness, yoga, and modern psychotherapeutic techniques to promote emotional health. The goal of this study was to assess the effects of the TARA training on emotional health and structural white matter brain networks in healthy youth. We analyzed data from 23 adolescents who underwent the 12-week TARA training in a controlled within-subject study design and whose brain networks were assessed using diffusion MRI connectomics. Compared to the control time period, adolescents showed a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms with TARA (Cohen’s d = -0.961, p = 0.006); moreover, the node strength of the Right Amygdala decreased significantly after TARA (Cohen’s d = -1.026, p = 0.004). Post-hoc analyses indicated that anxiety at baseline before TARA was positively correlated with Right Amygdala node strength (r = 0.672, p = 0.001). While change in Right Amygdala node strength with TARA was not correlated with change in anxiety (r = 0.146, p = 0.51), it was associated with change in depression subscale of Anhedonia / Negative Affect (r = 0.575, p = 0.004, exploratory analysis), possibly due to overlapping constructs captured in our anxiety and depression scales. Our results suggest that increased structural connectivity of Right Amygdala may underlie increased anxiety in adolescents and be lowered through anxiety-reducing training such as TARA. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the neural mechanisms of TARA and may facilitate neuroscience-based prevention and treatment of adolescent anxiety and depression.

基于正念的方法有望改善青少年的情绪健康，并可能有助于治疗和预防青少年抑郁和焦虑。然而，对于此类干预措施所导致的神经重组的理解存在根本性的差距。意识、弹性和行动培训 (TARA) 计划最初是为抑郁症青少年开发的，使用从神经科学、正念、瑜伽和现代心理治疗技术中提取的框架来促进情绪健康。本研究的目的是评估 TARA 训练对健康青少年情绪健康和结构性白质大脑网络的影响。我们分析了 23 名青少年的数据，这些青少年在受控的受试者内研究设计中接受了为期 12 周的 TARA 培训，并使用扩散 MRI 连接组学评估了他们的大脑网络。与对照时间段相比，TARA 治疗青少年的焦虑症状显着减轻（Cohen's d = -0.961， p = 0.006）；此外，TARA 后右侧杏仁核的节点强度显着下降（Cohen's d = -1.026， p = 0.004）。事后分析表明，TARA 前基线焦虑与右杏仁核强度呈正相关（ r = 0.672， p = 0.001）。虽然 TARA 导致的右侧杏仁核强度的变化与焦虑的变化无关（ r = 0.146， p = 0.51），但它与快感缺乏/消极情绪的抑郁子量表的变化相关（ r = 0.575， p = 0.004，探索性分析） ），可能是由于我们的焦虑和抑郁量表中捕获的重叠结构所致。 我们的研究结果表明，右侧杏仁核结构连通性的增加可能是青少年焦虑增加的原因，并且可以通过 TARA 等减少焦虑的训练来降低。这项研究的结果有助于我们了解 TARA 的神经机制，并可能促进基于神经科学的青少年焦虑和抑郁的预防和治疗。