Cited by 11Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsPhysical Activity and HealthHeart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control

Meditation and aerobic exercise enhance mental health outcomes and pattern separation learning without changing heart rate variability in women with HIV

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Millon, Emma M., Lehrer, Paul M., Shors, Tracey J.·2022·Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback

Abstract

Mental and physical (MAP) training targets the brain and the body through a combination of focused-attention meditation and aerobic exercise. The following feasibility pilot study tested whether 6 weeks of MAP training improves mental health outcomes, while enhancing discrimination learning and heart rate variability (HRV) in a group of women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other stress-related conditions. Participants were assigned to training (n = 18) or no-training control (n = 8) groups depending on their ability and willingness to participate, and if their schedule allowed. Training sessions were held once a week for 6 weeks with 30 min of meditation followed by 30 min of aerobic exercise. Before and after 6 weeks of training, participants completed the Behavioral Pattern Separation Task as a measure of discrimination learning, self-report questionnaires of ruminative and trauma-related thoughts, depression, anxiety, and perceived stress, and an assessment of HRV at rest. After training, participants reported fewer ruminative and trauma-related thoughts, fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms, and less perceived stress (p's < 0.05). The positive impact on ruminative thoughts and depressive symptoms persisted 6 months after training. They also demonstrated enhanced discrimination of similar patterns of information (p < 0.05). HRV did not change after training (p > 0.05). Combining mental and physical training is an effective program for enhancing mental health and aspects of cognition in women living with HIV, although not necessarily through variance in heart rate.

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  • Studies suggest MAP Training increases discrimination learning during a pattern separation task associated with neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus.

    “In addition, studies suggest an increase in the volume of oxygen consumption as measured with VO2 (Shors et al., 2014), synchronous brain activity as measured with electroencephalography (EEG) during cognitive control (Alderman et al., 2016), and discrimination learning during a pattern separation task associated with neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus (Millon et al., 2022).”

    From Mental and physical training with meditation and aerobic exercise improved mental health and well-being in teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as Millon et al., 2022

    The Results section (page unavailable) reports increased pattern-separation scores after MAP Training, but only among eight participants selected for at least 80% recognition-memory accuracy. The Discussion associates this discrimination task with hippocampal neurogenesis; the paper does not show that training increased neurogenesis. The citing sentence omits the subgroup restriction on the reported learning improvement. (LLM, conf=0.85)

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Dolan SE Frontera W Librizzi J Ljungquist K Juan S Dorman R Cole ME Kanter JR Grinspoon S Effects of a supervised home-based aerobic and progressive resistance training regimen in women infected with human immunodeficiency virus Archives of Internal Medicine 2006 166 11 1225 1231 10.1001/archinte.166.11.1225 16772251 PMC3205443 · DOI
  2. Ramirez-Garcia MP Gagnon M-P Colson S Côté J Flores-Aranda J Dupont M Mind-body practices for people living with HIV: A systematic scoping review BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2019 19 1 125 10.1186/s12906-019-2502-z 31185970 PMC6560810 · DOI

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Authors
Millon, E. M., Lehrer, P. M., & Shors, T. J.
Affiliations
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (US)
Corresponding author
Millon, Emma M.
Venue
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
Published
2022-01-17
Volume
47
Issue
1
Pages
27-42
ISSN
  • 0363-3586 (ISSN-L)
  • 1090-0586
  • 1573-3270
OpenAlex
W4206397880
Cited by
11
References
111
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 2
FWCI
2.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
Keywords
meditation, aerobic exercise, HIV, women living with HIV, mental health, pattern separation, discrimination learning, heart rate variability, rumination, depression, anxiety, perceived stress, cognitive enhancement
MeSH terms
Female, Heart Rate, Humans, Pilot Projects, Exercise, HIV Infections, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Meditation

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