Dynamic processes of mindfulness-based alterations in pain perception.
Chen Lu, Vera Moliadze, Frauke Nees
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1253559 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based processes |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Analgesia Brain signature Chronic pain Pain perception |
| Citations | 13 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based analgesia involves dynamic neural and cognitive mechanisms that shift from beginner to expert levels, with early effects driven by cognitive regulation and later effects by reduced cognitive-affective interference. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based processes have been shown to enhance attention and related behavioral responses, including analgesia, which is discussed as an effective method in the context of pain interventions. In the present review, we introduce the construct of mindfulness, delineating the concepts, factors, and processes that are summarized under this term and might serve as relevant components of the underlying mechanistic pathways in the field of pain. We also discuss how differences in factors such as definitions of mindfulness, study design, and strategies in mindfulness-based attention direction may need to be considered when putting the findings from previous studies into a whole framework. In doing so, we capitalize on a potential dynamic process model of mindfulness-based analgesia. In this respect, the so-called mindfulness-based analgesia may initially result from improved cognitive regulation strategies, while at later stages of effects may be driven by a reduction of interference between both cognitive and affective factors. With increasing mindfulness practice, pathways and mechanisms of mindfulness analgesia may change dynamically, which could result from adaptive coping. This is underlined by the fact that the neural mechanism of mindfulness analgesia is manifested as increased activation in the ACC and aINS at the beginner level while increased activation in the pINS and reduced activation in the lPFC at the expert level.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- EEG oscillations reveal neuroplastic changes in pain processing associated with long-term meditation. Scientific Reports March 27, 2025
- Differential Effects of Meditation States on Neural Pain Processing in Novice and Long-Term Meditators Mindfulness April 1, 2026
- Mindfulness training enhances face working memory: evidence from the drift-diffusion model npj Science of Learning December 9, 2025
- Differential Effects of Meditation States and Traits on the Neural Mechanisms of Pain Processing bioRxiv Preprint Server May 20, 2025
- A Brief Mindfulness Intervention for Pain Management in Fibromyalgia: A Single-arm Open-Label Study. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience August 1, 2026
and 5 more in the library
Cites 45
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2003
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Assessment of Mindfulness by Self-Report Assessment September 1, 2004
- Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences June 28, 2007
and 40 more in the library