Does practice make perfect? Functional connectivity of the salience network and somatosensory network predicts response to mind-body treatments for fibromyalgia.
Sonia Medina, Owen O'Daly, Matthew A Howard, Albert Feliu-Soler, Juan V Luciano
Frontiers in Pain Research 2024 DOI: 10.3389/fpain.2024.1245235 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort with pre-post treatment and control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 58 |
| Population | Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Brain biomarker Fibromyalgia Functional connectivity Rsbold |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Baseline functional connectivity between the salience network and sensorimotor network predicted pain reduction following MBSR and FibroQoL in opposite directions, with large to very large effect sizes. |
Abstract
Mind-body treatments can improve coping mechanisms to deal with pain, improve the quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), and reduce perceived pain in some cases. However, responses to these treatments are highly variable, the mechanisms underpinning them remain unclear, and reliable predictors of treatment response are lacking. We employed resting-state blood oxygen level-dependent (rsBOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine changes in brain functional connectivity (FC) following mind-body treatment that may relate to and predict pain relief. We recruited patients with FMS who underwent either mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR; n = 18) or a psychoeducational program (FibroQoL; n = 22) and a treatment-as-usual FMS group (TAU; n = 18). We collected rsBOLD data, alongside subjective pain, anxiety, depression, and catastrophizing measures prior to and following treatments. We examined behavioral changes and FC changes in the salience network (SN) and sensorimotor network (SMN) and performed regression analyses to identify predictors for treatment response. The MBSR and FibroQoL groups experienced significant reductions in pain catastrophizing. After treatment, the FC of the sensorimotor cortex with the rest of the SMN became significantly reduced in the MBSR group compared to the TAU group. The FC between the SN and the SMN at baseline was negatively correlated with pain reductions following MBSR but positively correlated with pain reductions in the FibroQoL group. These results yielded large to very large effect sizes. Following MBSR, only for those patients with lower baseline SMN-SN FC, minutes of mindfulness practice were positively associated with clinical improvement (small to medium effect size). Different mind-body treatments are underpinned by discrete brain networks. Measures of the functional interplay between SN and SMN have the potential as predictors of mind-body treatment response in patients with FMS.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 10
- The salience network is responsible for switching between the default mode network and the central executive network: Replication from DCM Neuroimage May 24, 2014
- Pain Attenuation through Mindfulness is Associated with Decreased Cognitive Control and Increased Sensory Processing in the Brain Cerebral Cortex December 15, 2011
- Meditation reduces pain-related neural activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, insula, secondary somatosensory cortex, and thalamus Frontiers in Psychology December 16, 2014
- Mindfulness meditation is related to sensory‐affective uncoupling of pain in trained novice and expert practitioners European Journal of Pain April 20, 2020
- Differential Brain Perfusion Changes Following Two Mind-Body Interventions for Fibromyalgia Patients: an Arterial Spin Labelling fMRI Study. Mindfulness 2022
and 5 more in the library