The effect of mindful attention training for pain modulation capacity: Exploring the mindfulness-pain link.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether short mindful attention training based on Langerian mindfulness mitigates reductions in pain modulation, particularly in the context of chronic pain.
Results Summary
The study found that reductions in conditioned pain modulation (CPM) magnitude were observed only in the control group, while this reduction was abolished in both mindfulness training groups, suggesting mindfulness may help mitigate pain modulation dysfunction.
Population
60 undergraduates
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mindfulness | decrease | chronic pain | - | - | has been shown to be beneficial | #1 |
a short mindful attention training based on Langerian mindfulness | no change | pain modulation | - | - | mitigates reductions | #2 |
Pain-specific mindful attention training | no change | CPM magnitude | undergraduates | - | abolished reduction | #3 |
nonspecific mindful attention training | no change | CPM magnitude | undergraduates | - | abolished reduction | #4 |
no mindful attention training | decrease | CPM magnitude | undergraduates | - | reduction was observed | #5 |
Langerian mindfulness | no change | pain modulation reduction | chronic pain patients | - | may mitigate | #6 |
OBJECTIVE: Mindfulness has been shown to be beneficial for chronic pain. The underlying mechanisms of the mindfulness-pain link, however, are yet to be established. Particularly, the effects of mindfulness on pain modulation, which is shown to be dysfunctional among chronic pain patients, barely has been tested. This study investigated whether a short mindful attention training based on Langerian mindfulness mitigates reductions in pain modulation. METHOD: Systemic quantitative-somatosensory testing of conditioned pain modulation (CPM) was conducted in 60 undergraduates, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) Pain-specific mindful attention training; (2) nonspecific mindful attention training; and (3) no mindful attention training. CPM was tested before and after the intervention. RESULTS: As hypothesized, a reduction in CPM magnitude was observed only in the control group, whereas this reduction was abolished in the two mindfulness groups. CONCLUSIONS: Langerian mindfulness may mitigate pain modulation reduction as observed in chronic pain, thus shedding light on its potential advantages.