The Dr. Jud Podcast

Meditation Experience Is Associated with Differences in Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity explores how mindfulness meditation impacts brain function. 

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and his colleagues reveal groundbreaking research using fMRI to compare experienced meditators and meditation-naïve controls. The study identifies reduced activity in the brain's default mode network (DMN) during meditation and enhanced connectivity with regions responsible for self-monitoring and cognitive control. These findings suggest meditation not only decreases mind-wandering but may also foster a new default mode of present-centered awareness, providing potential therapeutic applications for conditions such as ADHD and Alzheimer’s disease. Join us as we unpack the neural mechanisms of mindfulness and their implications for mental health and well-being.

Reference:
Brewer JA, Worhunsky PD, Gray JR, Tang YY, Weber J, Kober H. Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2011;108(50):20254–20259.

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Physician Anxiety and Burnout: Symptom Correlates and a Prospective Pilot Study of App-Delivered Mindfulness Training

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and colleagues delve into the alarming rise of physician burnout and its strong correlation with anxiety. This pilot study examines the efficacy of an app-based mindfulness training program, Unwinding Anxiety, designed specifically for busy physicians. The findings reveal a significant reduction in anxiety (57%) and burnout symptoms such as cynicism (50%) and emotional exhaustion (20%) over three months. The conversation highlights how mindfulness can disrupt anxiety habit loops, offering a scalable, accessible solution for improving mental health among healthcare professionals.

Full Reference:
Roy, A., Druker, S., Hoge, E. A., & Brewer, J. A. (2020). Physician anxiety and burnout: Symptom correlates and a prospective pilot study of app-delivered mindfulness training. JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth, 8(4), e15608. https://doi.org/10.2196/15608

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Awareness Drives Changes in Reward Value Which Predict Eating Behavior Change: Probing Reinforcement Learning Using Experience Sampling from Mobile Mindfulness Training for Maladaptive Eating

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and colleagues explore how mindfulness-based interventions can reshape maladaptive eating behaviors through changes in reward value. Leveraging reinforcement learning theory, the study uses an app-based mindful eating tool to reveal how awareness reduces the reward value of craving-related eating. With real-world experience sampling, the findings demonstrate that mindful attention to eating behaviors leads to a recalibration of reward expectations, significantly predicting reductions in food intake and emotional eating. Discover how these insights pave the way for new, scalable strategies to address obesity and maladaptive eating patterns.

Full Reference:
Taylor, V. A., Moseley, I., Sun, S., Smith, R., Roy, A., Ludwig, V. U., & Brewer, J. A. (2021). Awareness drives changes in reward value which predict eating behavior change: Probing reinforcement learning using experience sampling from mobile mindfulness training for maladaptive eating. Journal of Behavioral Addictions. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2021.00020

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Clinical Efficacy and Psychological Mechanisms of an App-Based Digital Therapeutic for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and Alexandra Roy discuss a pioneering randomized controlled trial evaluating the clinical efficacy and mechanisms of the Unwinding Anxiety app for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The app integrates mindfulness training to disrupt worry and anxiety cycles driven by reinforcement learning. Results show a 67% reduction in anxiety for app users compared to 14% for controls, with significant improvements in mindfulness, reduced worry, and heightened interoceptive awareness. This conversation delves into the potential for evidence-based digital therapeutics to address widespread mental health needs at scale, offering novel solutions for a world increasingly burdened by anxiety.

Full Reference:
Roy, A., Hoge, E. A., Abrante, P., Druker, S., Liu, T., & Brewer, J. A. (2021). Clinical efficacy and psychological mechanisms of an app-based digital therapeutic for generalized anxiety disorder: randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23(12), e26987. https://doi.org/10.2196/26987

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Self-Regulation Without Force: Can Awareness Leverage Reward to Drive Behavior Change

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and colleagues introduce a groundbreaking approach to sustainable behavior change that moves beyond willpower-based strategies. By combining insights from reinforcement learning, self-determination theory, and mindfulness, they explore how bringing present-moment awareness to habits and behaviors can update the brain’s reward system, fostering autonomous, long-lasting self-regulation. Discover the science behind how awareness of triggers, behaviors, and their outcomes can help break habit loops, reduce effortful struggle, and cultivate behaviors aligned with personal goals and values. This episode dives into practical strategies to shift from forceful self-control to natural, unforced change.

Full Reference:
Ludwig, V. U., Brown, K. W., & Brewer, J. A. (2020). Self-regulation without force: Can awareness leverage reward to drive behavior change? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(6), 1382-1399. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691620931460

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Can Approaching Anxiety Like a Habit Lead to Novel Treatments?

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and Alexandra Roy explore how anxiety, a growing mental health epidemic, may be approached through the lens of habit formation. This groundbreaking review delves into worry-driven habit loops, the mechanics of reinforcement learning, and how mindfulness-based training offers a promising, scalable solution. Highlighting the potential of digital therapeutics like the "Unwinding Anxiety" app, the discussion examines how awareness, curiosity, and non-reactivity can disrupt anxiety cycles, offering both mechanistic insights and practical strategies for lasting relief. Learn how a shift from traditional approaches to habit-focused interventions could redefine anxiety treatment.

Full Reference:
Brewer, J. A., & Roy, A. (2021). Can approaching anxiety like a habit lead to novel treatments? American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276211008144

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Can Mindfulness Address Maladaptive Eating Behaviors? Why Traditional Diet Plans Fail and How New Mechanistic Insights May Lead to Novel Interventions

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and colleagues explore the limitations of traditional diet plans and reveal how mindfulness training offers a new, mechanistic approach to addressing maladaptive eating behaviors. They discuss how reward-based learning and habit loops drive emotional and stress-related eating, often undermining willpower-based diets. By targeting cravings and cultivating awareness, mindfulness empowers individuals to break free from these cycles. Dr. Brewer explains how mindfulness rewires the brain’s reward system, helping people reconnect with intrinsic cues like hunger, satiety, and self-compassion for long-term, sustainable change.

Full Reference:
Brewer, J. A., Ruf, A., Beccia, A. L., Essien, G. I., Finn, L. M., van Lutterveld, R., & Mason, A. E. (2018). Can mindfulness address maladaptive eating behaviors? Why traditional diet plans fail and how new mechanistic insights may lead to novel interventions. Frontiers in Psychology, 9:1418. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01418

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The Posterior Cingulate Cortex as a Plausible Mechanistic Target of Meditation: Findings from Neuroimaging

Join Dr. Jud Brewer and Kathleen A. Garrison as they explore the neurobiological underpinnings of mindfulness and meditation. This episode delves into how the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), a key node in the brain's default mode network, plays a pivotal role in self-referential thinking, mind-wandering, and stress. The discussion highlights groundbreaking insights from real-time fMRI studies that link meditation practices to PCC activity, uncovering how mindfulness disrupts habitual loops of craving, emotional processing, and cognitive distortions. Learn how these findings pave the way for personalized interventions and a deeper understanding of meditation's impact on mental health.

Full Reference:
Brewer, J. A., & Garrison, K. A. (2013). The posterior cingulate cortex as a plausible mechanistic target of meditation: findings from neuroimaging. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12246

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Quitting Starts in the Brain: A Randomized Controlled Trial of App-Based Mindfulness Shows Decreases in Neural Responses to Smoking Cues That Predict Reductions in Smoking

In this episode, Dr. Jud Brewer and his team dive into groundbreaking research on mindfulness and its impact on smoking cessation. Discover how app-based mindfulness training influences the brain’s default mode network, specifically the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), to reduce cue-induced cravings. This randomized controlled trial sheds light on the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness, exploring how these changes predict meaningful reductions in smoking behavior, with notable insights into sex-specific effects. Learn how digital therapeutics could revolutionize smoking cessation strategies and provide more personalized, effective interventions.

Full Reference:
Janes AC, Datko M, Roy A, Barton B, Druker S, Neal C, Ohashi K, Benoit H, van Lutterveld R, Brewer JA. (2019). Quitting starts in the brain: a randomized controlled trial of app-based mindfulness shows decreases in neural responses to smoking cues that predict reductions in smoking. Neuropsychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0403-y

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Title:

Mindfulness Training for Addictions: Has Neuroscience Revealed a Brain Hack by Which Awareness Subverts the Addictive Process?

Description:

Can mindfulness offer a revolutionary approach to overcoming addictions? In this episode, we dive into Dr. Jud Brewer’s 2019 review article exploring how mindfulness-based interventions target reward-based learning mechanisms to interrupt addictive behaviors. Discover how awareness and curiosity can transform the cycle of craving, making mindful curiosity a “more rewarding reward.” We’ll discuss:

•The science of reward-based learning and its role in addiction.

•The orbitofrontal cortex as a key brain region in value assignment.

•How mindfulness subverts habitual behaviors without relying on willpower.

This episode highlights the intersection of neuroscience and ancient mindfulness practices, providing actionable insights into breaking free from habit loops.

Full Reference:

Brewer, J.A. (2019). Mindfulness training for addictions: has neuroscience revealed a brain hack by which awareness subverts the addictive process? Current Opinion in Psychology, 28, 198-203. DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2019.01.014.

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