A non-elaborative mental stance and decoupling of executive and pain-related cortices predicts low pain sensitivity in Zen meditators.

Practitioners of Zen meditation, compared to non-meditators, show reduced activity in brain regions involved in evaluation and emotion (prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus) during pain, while simultaneously activating primary pain-processing areas (anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, insula) more robustly. The most experienced meditators exhibited the largest reductions in brain activity. Lower pain sensitivity in meditators was strongly predicted by decreased functional connectivity between executive and pain-related cortices. These findings suggest a functional decoupling of cognitive-evaluative and sensory-discriminative pain dimensions, allowing a more neutral perception of painful stimuli, challenging the view that emotion regulation requires increased frontal executive activation.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Concepts originating from ancient Eastern texts are now being explored scientifically, leading to new insights into mind/brain function. Meditative practice, often viewed as an emotion regulation strategy, has been associated with pain reduction, low pain sensitivity, chronic pain improvement, and thickness of pain-related cortices. Zen meditation is unlike previously studied emotion regulation techniques; more akin to 'no appraisal' than 'reappraisal'. This implies the cognitive evaluation of pain may be involved in the pain-related effects observed in meditators. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging and a thermal pain paradigm we show that practitioners of Zen, compared to controls, reduce activity in executive, evaluative and emotion areas during pain (prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus). Meditators with the most experience showed the largest activation reductions. Simultaneously, meditators more robustly activated primary pain processing regions (anterior cingulate cortex, thalamus, insula). Importantly, the lower pain sensitivity in meditators was strongly predicted by reductions in functional connectivity between executive and pain-related cortices. Results suggest a functional decoupling of the cognitive-evaluative and sensory-discriminative dimensions of pain, possibly allowing practitioners to view painful stimuli more neutrally. The activation pattern is remarkably consistent with the mindset described in Zen and the notion of mindfulness. Our findings contrast and challenge current concepts of pain and emotion regulation and cognitive control; commonly thought to manifest through increased activation of frontal executive areas. We suggest it is possible to self-regulate in a more 'passive' manner, by reducing higher-order evaluative processes, as demonstrated here by the disengagement of anterior brain systems in meditators.