A Virtual Reality Meditative Intervention Modulates Pain and the Pain Neuromatrix in Patients with Opioid Use Disorder.
Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) November 26, 2021 Mohammed M Faraj, Nina M Lipanski, Austin Morales et al.
A virtual reality-based meditative intervention for patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment for opioid use disorder reduced self-reported pain, opioid craving, anxiety, and depression after each session, though anger did not change. Saliva cortisol levels also decreased after sessions, while C-reactive protein did not. Brain scans taken before and after the 12-week intervention showed decreased activation in the left postcentral gyrus during a pain task, and connectivity within the pain neuromatrix changed from baseline. These preliminary findings suggest the intervention is feasible and may have therapeutic benefits, supported by observable brain changes.