# Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Parkinson's Disease: A Longitudinal Study

> **NIH VA I01** · VA SAN DIEGO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2022 · —

## Abstract

Over 80,000 Veterans with Parkinson’s disease (PD) currently obtain their medical care within the VA
Healthcare System, and the number of Veterans with PD is expected to increase considerably in the near
future. Health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL) is severely compromised in those with PD and worsens as the
disease progresses. Non-motor symptoms, particularly impaired cognition and mood (anxiety and
depression), contribute to poor and worsening of HRQoL in PD. Therefore, interventions that target these
symptoms and improve HRQoL are critically needed.
 Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in a non-pharmacological intervention that has been
shown to improve HRQoL, mood, and cognition in older adults with and without neurological conditions.
Although preliminary evidence supports MBSR as a promising intervention for PD, a systematic,
comprehensive randomized controlled trial (RCT) of MBSR has yet to be conducted in this population.
Moreover, it is unknown if immediate preliminary benefits are maintained over time. As PD is a
neurodegenerative disorder, non-transient benefits are of paramount importance in the treatment of this
chronic, disabling disease. Results from our pilot trial (n = 20) demonstrated that PD participants who
completed an 8-week MBSR program (n = 8) evidenced an improvement in overall HRQoL (d’ = 1.1), cognition
(d’ = 1.6), and mood (anxiety; d’ = 1.1), compared to PD participants in an 8-week active control condition
(Psychoeducation/Supportive Care; n = 12); the latter of whom experienced a worsening of symptoms. These
findings provide compelling preliminary evidence of MBSR efficacy for PD, and strongly underscore the need
for adequate treatment of PD-related non-motor symptoms with empirically-validated interventions.
 The overall aim of this longitudinal RCT is to determine the efficacy of MBSR to improve HRQoL,
cognition, and mood, as well as to determine the longevity of the treatment response in individuals with PD.
We hypothesize that HRQoL, cognition (particularly executive function), and mood (particularly anxiety)
symptoms (will improve in PD participants following eight weeks of MBSR compared to PD participants
randomized to an eight-week active Psychoeducation control condition. We further hypothesize that benefits
of MBSR treatment will be evident at the 6- and 12-month assessments, such that those completing the MBSR
group will demonstrate better HRQoL, cognition, and mood relative to those PD patients who completed the
Psychoeducation/Supportive Care (PSC) group. Potential mediators/moderators of the treatment response
will be examined in exploratory hypotheses. Eighty-eight non-demented individuals with PD will be recruited
and enrolled in the proposed study. Over-recruitment by 10% will be instituted to account for subject attrition
or unusable data, and to ensure an adequately-powered sample size of 80 (40 per group). Participants will
be randomized into either eight of weeks of MBSR (n = 44) or eight ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10534124
- **Project number:** 5I01RX003154-04
- **Recipient organization:** VA SAN DIEGO HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Dawn M. Schiehser
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-11-01 → 2024-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10534124

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10534124, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction for Parkinson's Disease: A Longitudinal Study (5I01RX003154-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10534124. Licensed CC0.

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