Cited by 278Smoking Behavior and CessationMindfulness and Compassion InterventionsSubstance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

Mindful attention reduces neural and self-reported cue-induced craving in smokers

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Westbrook, Cecilia, Creswell, John David, Tabibnia, Golnaz, Julson, Erica, Kober, Hedy, Tindle, Hilary A.·2013·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience

Abstract

An emerging body of research suggests that mindfulness-based interventions may be beneficial for smoking cessation and the treatment of other addictive disorders. One way that mindfulness may facilitate smoking cessation is through the reduction of craving to smoking cues. The present work considers whether mindful attention can reduce self-reported and neural markers of cue-induced craving in treatment seeking smokers. Forty-seven (n = 47) meditation-naïve treatment-seeking smokers (12-h abstinent from smoking) viewed and made ratings of smoking and neutral images while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Participants were trained and instructed to view these images passively or with mindful attention. Results indicated that mindful attention reduced self-reported craving to smoking images, and reduced neural activity in a craving-related region of subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC). Moreover, a psychophysiological interaction analysis revealed that mindful attention reduced functional connectivity between sgACC and other craving-related regions compared to passively viewing smoking images, suggesting that mindfulness may decouple craving neurocircuitry when viewing smoking cues. These results provide an initial indication that mindful attention may describe a 'bottom-up' attention to one's present moment experience in ways that can help reduce subjective and neural reactivity to smoking cues in smokers.

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Crossref · 10.1093/scan/nsr076

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103 of 103 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Accumulating evidence from neuroimaging studies mostly supports the idea of bottom-up processing.

    “Accumulating evidence from neuroimaging studies mostly support this idea (Westbrook et al., 2013).”

    From Enhanced Resting-State Functional Connectivity With Decreased Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations of the Salience Network in Mindfulness Novices (2022) · cites this paper as Westbrook et al., 2013

    In “Mindful attention and reduced reactivity to craving” (page unavailable), the authors say their fMRI findings support a bottom-up, reduced-reactivity account in meditation-naïve smokers. But “Neural pathways linking mindful attention to reduced craving” also describes evidence for top-down regulation, including a neuroimaging review. The paper supports bottom-up processing in this study, not the broader claim that neuroimaging evidence mostly supports it. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Mindfulness effects are detected with decoupling of resting-state FC between subgenual ACC and amygdala or other craving-related regions.

    “Mindfulness effects were detected with the decoupling of resting-state FC (rs-FC) between subgenual ACC and amygdala (Taren et al., 2015) or other craving-related regions (caudate, ventral striatum, premotor cortex, and insula) (Westbrook et al., 2013).”

    From Enhanced Resting-State Functional Connectivity With Decreased Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuations of the Salience Network in Mindfulness Novices (2022) · cites this paper as Westbrook et al., 2013

    The ‘Mindful attention and reduced reactivity to craving’ section reports decreased functional connectivity between sgACC and caudate, ventral striatum, premotor cortex, and insula. But the ‘fMRI analyses’ section identifies this as a comparison of mindful attention with passive viewing of smoking images, not resting-state functional connectivity. The amygdala portion of the citing sentence is attributed to Taren et al., not Westbrook et al. (LLM, conf=0.91)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In a lab-based brief mindfulness induction, mindful attention to smoking cues significantly reduced craving coupled with decreased activation in a craving-related region of the subgenual ACC.

    “in a lab-based brief mindfulness induction, mindful attention to smoking cues significantly reduced craving coupled with decreased activation in a craving-related region of the subgenual ACC [53].”
  • In mindfulness-naive smokers, one study found lower connectivity between craving-related brain areas during mindfulness than during passive viewing of smoking cues while craving.

    “one study of mindfulness-naive smokers demonstrated reduced connectivity between craving-related brain regions during a mindfulness condition compared to passive viewing of smoking-related images during cigarette craving [53]”
  • When applying mindful attention in smokers viewing craving-inducing images during fMRI, subjects reported less craving impulse and presented decreased activation in the subgenual ACC and reduced functional connectivity between this region and bilateral AI and VS, with no involvement of the PFC.

    “When applying “mindful attention,” subjects reported less craving impulse; additionally, they presented decreased activation in the subgenual ACC (sg-ACC), and reduced functional connectivity between this same region and bilateral AI and VS. At the same time, no involvement of the PFC was detected (Westbrook et al., 2013).”

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Altner, N. (2002). Mindfulness practice and smoking cessation: The Essen hospital smoking cessation study (EASY). Journal for Meditation and Meditation Research, 1, 9-18.
  2. Williams, J.M.G. (2010). Mindfulness and psychological process. Emotion, 10(1), 1-7.

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Authors
Westbrook, C., Creswell, J. D., Tabibnia, G., Julson, E., Kober, H., & Tindle, H. A.
Affiliations
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, 2Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 3Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA, and 4University of Pittsburgh, Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Venue
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
Published
2011-11-22
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
73-84
ISSN
  • 1749-5016 (ISSN-L)
  • 1749-5024
OpenAlex
W2160305908
Cited by
278
References
103
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 17 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 29 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 9
FWCI
11.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • KiltHub Repository (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • KiltHub Repository
Funders
  • Mind and Life Institute
  • National Institutes of Health
  • National Institute of Mental Health (T-32-MH17140, T32MH017140)
  • National Center for Research Resources (RR024154, KL2RR024154, K12 RR024154)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
Keywords
mindful attention, cigarette craving, smoking cues, smoking cessation, mindfulness-based interventions, subgenual anterior cingulate cortex, functional connectivity, psychophysiological interaction, treatment-seeking smokers, cue reactivity, addiction treatment
MeSH terms
Adult, Attention, Awareness, Female, Gyrus Cinguli, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Neural Pathways, Smoking, Smoking Cessation, Behavior, Addictive, Meditation, Functional Neuroimaging

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