Can online mindfulness help aging brains? new study lays groundwork

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * 50 years of age or older * Report subjective cognitive decline with normatively intact performance on cognitive testing * Capable of attending the assessment and the majority of focus group sessions * Fluent English speaker * Corrected (near and far) visual acuity of 20/40 or better * Adequate hearing for experimental purposes * Absence of diagnosed terminal illness * Absence of diagnosed neurological disorders * No history of psychotic disorder or substance abuse disorder * Absence of any psychiatric disorder that was 1) diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist and 2) diagnosed within the past 2 years OR symptoms and/or treatment is ongoing * Absence of medication use that significantly alters brain activity * No history of diagnosed learning disability that would interfere with the completion of cognitive tasks * No evidence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia: \>1 standard deviation (SD) below demographically adjusted normative mean on both measures of one domain OR \>1 SD below demographically adjusted normative mean on at least one measure of all three domains OR inadequate self-reported performance of instrumental activities of daily living * Able to engage in light stretching exercises with or without assistive devices * No regular practice of meditation or yoga (defined as once or more per week) AND no previous participation in a structured mindfulness class such as MBSR * Access to the internet Exclusion Criteria: * Not 50 years of age or older * Does not report subjective cognitive decline AND/ OR does not perform in the normatively intact range on cognitive testing * Any physical limitation or pragmatic limitation that prohibits attendance at assessment and focus group sessions * No fluency in English * Corrected (near or far) visual acuity worse than 20/40 * Self-reported hearing impairment that would affect their ability to hear the experimenter * Diagnosis of terminal illness * Presence of diagnosed neurological disorders * History of psychotic disorder or substance abuse disorder diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist * Presence of any psychiatric disorder that was 1) diagnosed by a psychologist or psychiatrist and 2) diagnosed within the past 2 years OR symptoms/treatment is ongoing * Medication use that significantly alters brain activity * History of diagnosed learning disability that would interfere with completion of the cognitive tasks * Evidence of MCI or dementia: \>1 SD below demographically adjusted normative mean on both measures of one domain OR \>1 SD below demographically adjusted normative mean on at least one measure of all three domains OR inadequate self-reported performance of instrumental activities of daily living * Actual or perceived limitation that prohibits engaging in light stretching exercises with or without assistive devices * Any regular practice of meditation or yoga (defined as once or more per week) OR previous participation in a structured mindfulness class such as MBSR * No access to the internet