Meditation, a conscious mental process that induces a set of integrated physiologic changes known as the relaxation response, activates specific brain regions. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), signal increases were observed in the dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal cortices, hippocampus/parahippocampus, temporal lobe, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, striatum, and pre- and post-central gyri during meditation. Global fMRI signal decreases were also noted, likely secondary to accompanying cardiorespiratory changes. The findings suggest that meditation practice activates neural structures involved in attention and control of the autonomic nervous system.
Patients with chronic low back pain show stronger resting connectivity between the default mode network and the right insula, pregenual anterior cingulate cortex, and left inferior parietal lobule compared to healthy controls. Baseline clinical pain correlates positively with default mode network–right insula connectivity. Physical maneuvers that exacerbate pain produce parallel changes in default mode network–right insula connectivity and disrupt default mode network–pregenual anterior cingulate cortex connectivity, which at baseline was anticorrelated with pain. Baseline default mode network connectivity also predicts maneuver-induced changes in both pain and default mode network–right insula connectivity. These findings support resting default mode network connectivity as a potential neuroimaging biomarker for chronic pain perception.