Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University Biomedical and Health Sciences, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
J Altern Complement Med. 2020 May;26(5):418-423. doi: 10.1089/acm.2019.0281. Epub 2020 Apr 20.
Medical students must commit a great deal of concentration and energy during their first 2 years of study, leaving minimal time for self-care. However, once they become physicians, they are in the position of instructing their patients to engage in self-care. In this study, first- and second-year medical students participated in a combined mental and physical (MAP) training program with meditation and aerobic exercise that targeted brain health. Each weekly session began with 30 min of instructional training that emphasized the benefit of the program for brain and body health, followed by 30 min of silent meditation, and ending with 30 min of aerobic exercise. Participants monitored their heart rate to achieve 60%-80% of their personal maximum. Participants engaged in one additional session of MAP training each week on their own. First- and second-year medical students were recruited to be participants from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) in Piscataway, NJ. Participants completed questionnaires of depressive symptoms, perceived stress, ruminative thoughts, and quality of life, before and after the training approximately 8-9 weeks apart. After 8 weeks of training and in contrast to students who did not participate (n = 30), the medical students who completed at least 14 sessions out of 16 (n = 17) reported significantly fewer ruminations (-17%), including depressive (-16%) and brooding ruminations (-24%). Ruminations are repetitive thoughts that are typically negative in nature and associated with symptoms of depression. The medical students also reported greater quality of life at the end of training and less perceived stress. The majority (84%) would recommend these types of practices and this one in particular to their future patients. Previous studies have demonstrated that MAP training can reduce symptoms of depression as well as trauma-related cognitions, while increasing oxygen consumption and synchronized brain activity during cognitive control procedures. Overall, MAP training offers a time-efficient and evidence-based means of maintaining mental and physical wellness for students during medical school and into their future, as well as their patients alike.
医学生在头两年的学习中必须投入大量的注意力和精力，几乎没有时间进行自我保健。然而，一旦他们成为医生，他们就处于指导患者进行自我保健的位置。在这项研究中，一、二年级医学生参加了一个结合心理和身体（MAP）训练计划，包括冥想和有氧运动，以针对大脑健康。每个每周的课程都以 30 分钟的指导培训开始，强调该计划对大脑和身体健康的益处，然后是 30 分钟的静默冥想，最后是 30 分钟的有氧运动。参与者监测自己的心率，以达到个人最大心率的 60%-80%。参与者每周自行额外参加一次 MAP 训练。新泽西医科和牙科大学罗伯特伍德约翰逊医学院（RWJMS）的一、二年级医学生被招募为参与者。参与者在大约 8-9 周的时间内完成了抑郁症状、感知压力、沉思性思维和生活质量的问卷，分别在培训前后完成。经过 8 周的训练，与未参加培训的学生（n=30）相比，完成至少 14 次 16 次培训的医学生（n=17）报告的沉思次数明显减少（-17%），包括抑郁（-16%）和沉思性沉思（-24%）。沉思是反复出现的、通常是消极的想法，与抑郁症状有关。医学生在培训结束时还报告了更高的生活质量和更少的感知压力。大多数（84%）人会向他们未来的患者推荐这些类型的实践，特别是这种实践。以前的研究表明，MAP 训练可以减轻抑郁症状以及与创伤相关的认知，同时在认知控制过程中增加氧气消耗和同步大脑活动。总体而言，MAP 训练为医学生在医学院期间及其未来，以及他们的患者提供了一种高效且基于证据的保持身心健康的方法。
