A Randomized Controlled Trial of Brief Mindfulness Meditation for Women Undergoing Stereotactic Breast Biopsy

Abstract Purpose Stereotactic breast biopsy (SBB) is a common, anxiety-producing procedure. Nonpharmacologic methods to manage acute anxiety are needed. Methods In this single-blind trial, women were recruited before SBB and randomized in a 2:2:1 ratio to a single session of guided mindfulness-based meditation (GM; n = 30), focused breathing (FB; n = 30), or standard care (SC; n = 16). Anxiety and pain were assessed at baseline after a 10-min prebiopsy group-specific activity (GM, FB, or SC), every 4 min during SBB, and after biopsy. Electroencephalographic activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus was collected throughout the study. Results Women in the GM group reported a steeper reduction in anxiety than women in the FB and SC groups ( P d > 0.4 for all). There were no group differences in pain ratings during the biopsy. Women in the GM group experienced increased beta activity during biopsy in the insula ( P  = .006, Cohen’s d  = 1.4) and anterior cingulate cortex ( P  = .019, Cohen’s d  = 1.0) compared with women in the SC group, and there was a trend toward the same effect compared with women in the FB group ( P P d > 0.6 for both), which was associated with a steeper reduction in anxiety during the biopsy ( r  = 0.51, P Conclusions Brief, guided meditation may provide effective anxiety relief during an acute medical procedure and affect neuronal activity in regions associated with attention, self-awareness, and emotion regulation.