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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC 4.0Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience

Probing the Effect of Mindfulness Training on Glutamate/GABA Ratio and Its Association with Dopamine Availability: A Preliminary Single-arm Pilot Study

  • Shih-Hsien Lin1,2,3
  • Muhammad Abdullah2
  • Huai-Hsuan Tseng2,3
  • Po See Chen2,3
  • Nan Tsing Chiu4
  • Shih-Ming Huang5,6,7
  • Yen Kuang Yang2,3
7 affiliations
  1. 1Clinical Medicine Research Center, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
  2. 2Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
  3. 3Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
  4. 4Department of Nuclear Medicine, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
  5. 5Department of General Surgery, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
  6. 6Department of Surgery, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
  7. 7Asian International Thyroid Center, Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, Lukang Township, Changhua, Taiwan
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Abstract

Objective: Mindfulness is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for mental health. However, little is known about the underlying neurological mechanisms involved, especially glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and the excitation-inhibition (E-I) balance. This study examined changes in these markers after mindfulness training and whether these changes are related to the baseline dopamine transporter (DAT) availability. We also probed the associations with outcome markers of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training.

Methods: In this single-arm pilot study, 11 participants with Graves’ disease were enrolled and received MBSR training. Single-photon emission computed tomography study using [99mTc]TRODAT-1 was employed to assess DAT availability before the intervention, and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to assess the concentrations of glutamate, GABA, and the E-I balance. Attention and heart rate variability (HRV) were also measured before/after MBSR training.

Results: An elevated E-I balance and reduced GABA concentration after MBSR training were found. A lower baseline DAT availability was associated with a greater increase in glutamate and a greater increase in the E-I balance. A greater E-I balance after training was related to a greater frequency of HRV and better attention performance after the intervention.

Conclusion: The findings are novel. An elevated E-I balance could be the short-term effect of MBSR training, and this effect was greater among participants with a lower level of DAT availability at baseline. This finding may imply that excitation-related processes, such as neuroplasticity, could be the overlooked mechanism of mindfulness training.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{lin2026probing,
  title = {{Probing the Effect of Mindfulness Training on Glutamate/GABA Ratio and Its Association with Dopamine Availability: A Preliminary Single-arm Pilot Study}},
  author = {Shih-Hsien Lin and Muhammad Abdullah and Huai-Hsuan Tseng and Po See Chen and Nan Tsing Chiu and Shih-Ming Huang and Yen Kuang Yang},
  journal = {Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.9758/cpn.26.1420},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.26.1420},
  note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Probing the Effect of Mindfulness Training on Glutamate/GABA Ratio and Its Association with Dopamine Availability: A Preliminary Single-arm Pilot Study
AU  - Shih-Hsien Lin
AU  - Muhammad Abdullah
AU  - Huai-Hsuan Tseng
AU  - Po See Chen
AU  - Nan Tsing Chiu
AU  - Shih-Ming Huang
AU  - Yen Kuang Yang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/16
JO  - Clinical Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience
DO  - 10.9758/cpn.26.1420
UR  - https://doi.org/10.9758/cpn.26.1420
AB  - Objective: Mindfulness is an effective non-pharmacological intervention for mental health. However, little is known about the underlying neurological mechanisms involved, especially glutamate, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and the excitation-inhibition (E-I) balance. This study examined changes in these markers after mindfulness training and whether these changes are related to the baseline dopamine transporter (DAT) availability. We also probed the associations with outcome markers of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training.  Methods: In this single-arm pilot study, 11 participants with Graves’ disease were enrolled and received MBSR training. Single-photon emission computed tomography study using [99mTc]TRODAT-1 was employed to assess DAT availability before the intervention, and 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to assess the concentrations of glutamate, GABA, and the E-I balance. Attention and heart rate variability (HRV) were also measured before/after MBSR training.  Results: An elevated E-I balance and reduced GABA concentration after MBSR training were found. A lower baseline DAT availability was associated with a greater increase in glutamate and a greater increase in the E-I balance. A greater E-I balance after training was related to a greater frequency of HRV and better attention performance after the intervention.  Conclusion: The findings are novel. An elevated E-I balance could be the short-term effect of MBSR training, and this effect was greater among participants with a lower level of DAT availability at baseline. This finding may imply that excitation-related processes, such as neuroplasticity, could be the overlooked mechanism of mindfulness training.
SN  - 1738-1088
SN  - 2093-4327
ER  -