Identifying the Neurofunctional Connections Supporting Mindfulness Meditation Based Analgesia
Overview
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Pain
- Sponsor
- University of California, San Diego
- Enrollment
- 40
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signaling
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 6 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
Mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce pain in experimental and clinical settings, and the neural mechanisms underlying this analgesia are distinct from that of placebo related beliefs in the utility of the meditation. Although previous studies have identified potential cortical and sub-cortical targets responsible for mediating these effects, the connectional relationships between them remains largely unexplored. The present study will use blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) neuroimaging to assess functional connections supporting mindfulness meditation.
Detailed Description
Mindfulness meditation, significantly reduces pain in experimental and clinical settings. Although findings from this laboratory provide novel insights into some of the brain mechanisms supporting the modulation of pain by meditation , the specific analgesic mechanisms engaged during mindfulness meditation remain poorly characterized. To date, there are no studies that have identified the neurofunctional connections supporting mindfulness meditation-based pain relief. Employing fMRI, the objective of this study will be to determine the neural systems of action supporting mindfulness-based pain relief. The study will determine if higher order brain regions are involved in mindfulness-based analgesia. The results from this aim will identify a neural marker(s) for meditation-related pain relief, a critical step in defining how meditation reduces pain.
Investigators
Fadel Zeidan
Assistant Professor
University of California, San Diego
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •Normal volunteers between ages 18 and
- •Men and women of all races will be included
Exclusion Criteria
- •Subjects with a history of psychiatric or neurological disorders.
- •Subjects will be excluded if they report being claustrophobic.
- •Subjects with a prior history of meditation training will be excluded.
- •Subjects with ferrous metal or electronic devices (e g., pacemakers) implanted in there body will be excluded.
- •Pregnant subjects will be excluded.
- •Subjects that demonstrate no pain to noxious temperatures (\>49°C) or excessive responses to temperatures at or below 43°C will be excluded.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signaling
Time Frame: Up to 3 weeks
Changes in blood oxygenation levels to thermally noxious stimuli (49°C) will be assessed, and planned comparisons will be performed between subjects trained in mindfulness meditation and those trained in deep-breathing meditation.
Secondary Outcomes
- Change in Visual Analog Scale Pain Ratings as a function of mindfulness-based mental training(Up to 3 weeks)