A non-elaborative mental stance and decoupling of executive and pain-related cortices predicts low pain sensitivity in Zen meditators.
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.
Département de physiologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C3J7 Centre de recherche en science neurologiques (GRSNC), Montréal, QC, Canada H3C3J7 Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC) and Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM), Montréal, QC, Canada H3W1W5 Département de psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C3J7 Département de stomatologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada H3C3J7.
Joshua A
JA
Grant
Jérôme
J
Courtemanche
Pierre
P
Rainville
D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000523:psychology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010146:Pain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000523:psychology*; D011601:Psychophysics
D010100:Oxygen