Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) interventions have been shown to increase connectivity between the amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). This could, in turn, increase abilities to regulate emotions.

Neurological Effects Resulting From Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: Increased connection between the amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC)

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) is a part of the brain involved in automatic emotion regulation.

University of Virginia, Charlottesville

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) interventions have multiple physiological effects including the following:
- Morphometric changes in brain regions
- Increased connection between the amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) 

Neurological Effects Resulting From Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

Kral, T. R., Schuyler, B. S., Mumford, J. A., Rosenkranz, M. A., Lutz, A., & Davidson, R. J. (2018). Impact of short-and long-term mindfulness meditation training on amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli. Neuroimage, 181, 301-313.

Impact of Short- and Long-term Mindfulness Meditation Training on
Amygdala Reactivity to Emotional Stimuli

Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (VMPFC) 

The amygdala is a key brain structure that plays a central role in processing and relaying emotional information, making it a major focus of research into the biological basis of emotions like fear and anxiety. It is composed of various subnuclei and has a crucial role in memory, influencing how memories are stored—a process affected by stress hormones—and is involved in memory consolidation, the transfer of new learning into long-term memory. This is facilitated by enabling a deeper level of memory encoding for emotionally arousing events.

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