Effects of meditation on neural responses to pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of fMRI studies.
Cheng Fan, Mengjiao Wu, Hong Liu, Xiaolin Chen, Zhen Gao, Xin Zhao, Jianhao Zhou, Zheng Jiang
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews July 1, 2024 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105735 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | meditation |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Emotional pain FMRI Meta-analysis Somatic pain Systematic review |
| Key findings | Meditation-induced pain relief is associated with increased activation in the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex, and decreased activation in the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex. |
Abstract
This systematic review investigates the impact of meditation on neural responses to pain, as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Up to March 2024, we conducted searches across four databases for human studies implementing fMRI to assess the efficacy of meditation for pain relief. Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Our systematic review indicates that activation of the insula, anterior cingulate cortex, and orbitofrontal cortex is positively associated with meditation for pain relief, while activity in regions like the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex is negatively correlated with pain relief. Meta-analyses consistently reveal the involvement of various brain regions, including the insula, putamen, amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and caudate nucleus, in meditation-induced alleviation of pain. These findings suggest ccthat meditation acts on specific brain regions related to pain, mood, and cognition, providing insight into the potential mechanisms underlying the pain-alleviating effects of meditation on both pain sensations and emotional experiences.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Studies on the impact of meditation on mental health: A critical review. Psychiatria Danubina April 1, 2026
- Ketamine-induced analgesia and dissociation show distinct behavioral and neural correlates Neuropsychopharmacology July 20, 2026
- Effect of meditation on clinical symptoms and gray matter volume in chronic schizophrenia: a randomized controlled trial. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience May 19, 2026
- The Analgesic and Dissociative Properties of Ketamine are Separate and Correspond to Distinct Neural Mechanisms bioRxiv July 31, 2025
Cites 40
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- A Pilot Study of the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Brain Response to Traumatic Reminders of Combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Frontiers in Psychiatry August 25, 2017
and 35 more in the library