MSC 10th Anniversary Exhibition
This is the bibliography of the research behind Yeo Boon Khim Mind Science Centre (MSC)’s 10th Anniversary Exhibition panel. Below the full citation for anyone who wants to read the original.
Jurong Ageing Study
Mindfulness Practice
A mindfulness programme was linked to measurable changes in brain connectivity in older adults with mild cognitive impairment — not just to reported mood change.
Fam, J., Sun, Y., Qi, P., Lau, R. C., Feng, L., Kua, E. H., & Mahendran, R. (2020). Mindfulness practice alters brain connectivity in community-living elders with mild cognitive impairment. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 74(4), 257–262. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12972
A year of mindfulness training lowered inflammatory markers in the blood associated with cognitive decline, in a randomised trial of older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Ng, T. K. S., Fam, J., Feng, L., Cheah, I. K.-M., Tan, C. T.-Y., Nur, F., Wee, S. T., Goh, L. G., Chow, W. L., Ho, R. C.-M., Kua, E. H., Larbi, A., & Mahendran, R. (2020). Mindfulness improves inflammatory biomarker levels in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: A randomized controlled trial. Translational Psychiatry, 10, Article 21. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-020-0696-y
Mindfulness practice was linked to changes in gut bacteria alongside improvement in cognitive symptoms — one of the first studies to connect the two in older adults.
Khine, W. W. T., Voong, M. L., Ng, T. K. S., Feng, L., Rane, G. A., Kumar, A. P., Kua, E. H., Mahendran, R., & Lee, Y.-K. (2020). Mental awareness improved mild cognitive impairment and modulated gut microbiome. Aging, 12(23), 24371–24393.
Nine months of mindfulness training improved attention and produced measurable changes in brain structure among older adults with mild cognitive impairment.
Yu, J., Rawtaer, I., Feng, L., Fam, J., Kumar, A. P., Cheah, I. K.-M., Honer, W. G., Su, W., Lee, Y. K., Tan, E. C., Kua, E. H., & Mahendran, R. (2021). Mindfulness intervention for mild cognitive impairment led to attention-related improvements and neuroplastic changes: Results from a 9-month randomized control trial. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 135, 203–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.032
Art Therapy
Structured art therapy sessions helped older adults with mild cognitive impairment sustain attention better than usual care, in a randomised trial.
Mahendran, R., Gandhi, M., Moorakonda, R. B., Wong, J., Kanchi, M. M., Fam, J., Rawtaer, I., Kumar, A. P., Mahendran, A., & Kua, E. H. (2018). Art therapy is associated with sustained attention in older adults with mild cognitive impairment: Findings from a randomised controlled trial for art therapy and music reminiscence activity versus usual care. Trials, 19, Article 615.
Choral Singing
Comparing art, music, tai chi, and mindfulness programmes, each was linked to improved cognition and lower depression in older adults.
Rawtaer, I., Mahendran, R., Yu, J., Fam, J., Chan, H. Y., & Kua, E. H. (2015). Psychosocial interventions with art, music, tai chi and mindfulness: Effects on cognition and depression in older adults. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, 7(3), 240–250.
Age Well Everyday
Draws together ten years of MSC’s own research into what a decade of studying positive ageing and dementia prevention in Singapore actually found.
Kua, E. H., & Mahendran, R. (2022). Ageing with dignity: A 10-year study on positive ageing and dementia prevention in Singapore. Write Editions.
Community Health Intergenerational (CHI) Study
Where-there-is-no-Psychiatrist Integrated Personal Therapy
Tested whether a lay-volunteer-led programme — combining mindfulness with life-review therapy — could meaningfully help older adults with mild depression or anxiety, without a clinician running it.
Shorey, S., Kua, E. H., Tam, W., Chan, V., Goh, Y. S., Lim, H. M., Lim, L. H. K., Tian, C. S., & Mahendran, R. (2021). “Where-There-Is-No-Psychiatrist Integrated Personal Therapy” among community-dwelling older adults: A randomized pilot study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(18), Article 9514. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18189514
Reminiscence Therapy
Reviewing the evidence across multiple studies, group reminiscence therapy consistently improved depression, functioning, and wellbeing in older adults.
Tam, W., Poon, S. N., Mahendran, R., Kua, E. H., & Wu, X. V. (2021). The effectiveness of group-based reminiscence therapy on improving depression, functional level, and well-being of older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 114, Article 103847.
Dietary Counselling
Structured dietary counselling improved both diet quality and mental health outcomes among older adults in Singapore.
Low, J. H. M., Toh, D. W. K., Ng, M. T. T., Fam, J., Kua, E. H., & Kim, J. E. (2021). Impact of dietary counselling on mental health and diet quality in Singapore older adults: A randomized controlled trial. Nutrients, 13(9), Article 2936.
Singapore Youth Epidemiology and Resilience (YEAR) Study
Surveyed a student population in Singapore to map how common mental health symptoms are among youth, and what predicts them.
Wong, J. C. M., Lei, N. C. L., Kom, D. M. Y., Fee, V. H. F., Yap, N. H., Teoh, J. Y., Shen, L., Yap, Q. V., Wan, M. J. S., Du, R., Kroneman, L., Fung, D. S. S., Ong, S. H., Tian, C. S., Bin Sachiman, M. N. S., Sii, N. E.-P., Teng, J. Y., Ng, T. P., & Verhulst, F. (2024). Youth Epidemiology and Resilience (YEAR) in a student population: Prevalence and predictors of mental health symptoms. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, Article 1454484. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1454484
Nature as Medicine
Gardening with Edibles
Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural case study, gardening was linked to greater mental resilience during a period of prolonged stress.
Sia, A., Tan, P. Y., Wong, J. C. M., Araib, S., Ang, W. F., & Er, K. B. H. (2021). The impact of gardening on mental resilience in times of stress: A case study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 68, Article 127448. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127448
24 Sessions, Calmer Minds
Structured nature-based activities improved wellbeing among older adults.
Sia, A., Tam, W. W. S., Fogel, A., Kua, E. H., Khoo, K., & Ho, R. C. M. (2020). Nature-based activities improve the well-being of older adults. Scientific Reports, 10, Article 18178.
A Walk in the Rainforest
Brings together research on how contact with nature supports wellbeing and mental resilience.
Kua, E. H., Chong, V., Sia, A., & Kua, J. (Eds.). (2020). Nature. Health. Happiness: Enhancing well-being and mental resilience. Write Editions.
