Trait Mindfulness Is Associated With Lower Pain Reactivity and Connectivity of the Default Mode Network.
Richard Harrison, Fadel Zeidan, George Kitsaras, Dila Ozcelik, Tim V Salomons
Journal of Pain June 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2018.10.011 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers naive to mindfulness meditation |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation |
| Keywords | Neuroimaging Pain catastrophizing Train mindfulness |
| Key findings | Higher trait mindfulness is associated with higher pain thresholds and lower pain catastrophizing, along with reduced default mode network connectivity and increased connectivity with somatosensory cortices. |
Abstract
Mindfulness-based training reduces pain in clinical and experimental settings. Evidence suggests that these beneficial effects are facilitated via an increased focus on the present moment and a reduced emotional enhancement of pain. Most of the existing literature has focused on mindfulness as a learned skill and on the neural mechanisms that underlie the acquisition of this skill. It is unknown whether similar mechanisms are associated with trait mindfulness in the absence of training and whether these mechanisms confer the ability to cope with pain. To determine this, we measured trait mindfulness and pain responsivity in 40 healthy volunteers naive to mindfulness meditation. As a feature of interest, we targeted the default mode network (DMN), a network of interacting brain regions associated with processes such as introspective thought, mind wandering, and rumination. As extant studies have implicated the DMN in the beneficial effects of mindfulness, we examined resting-state connectivity of the precuneus, a core DMN node. Higher trait mindfulness was associated with higher pain thresholds (r = .43, P < .01) and lower pain catastrophizing (r = -.51, P < .01). Consistent with the neural mechanisms of trained mindfulness, higher trait mindfulness was associated with lower connectivity between the nodes of the DMN. It was also associated with higher connectivity between the DMN and somatosensory cortices. These findings are consistent with the processes taught in formal meditation training, namely increased focus on sensory experience and a decrease in emotional appraisal processes, indicating that behavioral and neurological mechanisms described in the interventional mindfulness literature also underlie trait mindfulness prior to any formal training. PERSPECTIVE: Mindfulness research mostly focuses on mindfulness as a trained skill rather than a trait. Consistent with trained-mindfulness studies, we demonstrate that mindfulness is associated with variations in neural connectivity linked to sensory and evaluative processes. These findings indicate that trait mindfulness serves as a marker for individual differences in pain coping.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on default mode network, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 28
- Meta-analytic evidence that mindfulness training alters resting state default mode network connectivity Scientific Reports July 18, 2022
- Reducing default mode network connectivity with mindfulness-based fMRI neurofeedback: a pilot study among adolescents with affective disorder history. Molecular Psychiatry June 1, 2023
- Beyond the veil of duality—topographic reorganization model of meditation Neuroscience of Consciousness 2022
- Disentangling self from pain: mindfulness meditation–induced pain relief is driven by thalamic–default mode network decoupling Pain July 7, 2022
- Mindful attention promotes control of brain network dynamics for self-regulation and discontinues the past from the present Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 3, 2023
and 23 more in the library
Cites 41
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- Experience sampling during fMRI reveals default network and executive system contributions to mind wandering. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 26, 2009
and 36 more in the library