To investigate the effect of mindfulness training on the neural basis of self-processing in patients
with SAD, the present study used fMRI to examine MBSR-related changes in clinical symptoms
as well as behavioral and neural measures of self-processing. Clinically, we expected that MBSR
would reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. On the SRP task, we expected that mindfulness
training would increase positive and decrease negative self-view as indexed by changes from
pre- to post-MBSR in self-endorsement of social traits. Neurally, our analyses focused on a SRPrelated
network of cortical midline structures (ventral and dorsal MPFC, PCC). We expected
that MBSR would result in reduced narrative/conceptual self-focus (i.e., midline cortical neural
responses) and increased experiential self-focus (i.e., somatosensory and visceral neural
responses) during both positive and negative SRP.