Panacea Index Logo

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Change in Brain Oscillations as a Mechanism of Mindfulness-Meditation, Cognitive Therapy, and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Chronic Low Back Pain.

Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.)
January 1, 1970
Melissa A Day et al. (7 authors)
Clinical TrialJournal ArticleHuman StudyClinical
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to examine EEG-assessed brain oscillation changes as potential mechanisms of mindfulness-meditation (MM) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for chronic low back pain (CLBP).

Results Summary

The study found significant reductions in theta, alpha, and beta power across all treatments, with beta power reduction in the central ROI specifically associated with reduced pain intensity in MBCT. These changes suggest lowered cortical arousal, supporting the capacity of psychological treatments to induce neurophysiological changes.

Population

Adults (N=57) with chronic low back pain.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (6)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
cognitive therapy (CT), mindfulness-meditation (MM), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
decrease
theta power in the left frontal ROI
Adults (N = 57) with CLBP
-
A significant reduction
#1
cognitive therapy (CT), mindfulness-meditation (MM), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
decrease
alpha power in the left frontal ROI
Adults (N = 57) with CLBP
-
A significant reduction
#2
cognitive therapy (CT), mindfulness-meditation (MM), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
decrease
beta power in all five ROIs
Adults (N = 57) with CLBP
-
significant reductions
#3
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
decrease
beta power reduction in the central ROI
Adults (N = 57) with CLBP
-
showed a significant association
#4
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
decrease
pain intensity
Adults (N = 57) with CLBP
-
significant association with reduced
#5
cognitive therapy (CT), mindfulness-meditation (MM), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
decrease
cortical arousal
Adults (N = 57) with CLBP
-
engendered a state of lowered
#6
Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Psychological treatments for chronic low back pain (CLBP) are effective. However, limited research has investigated their neurophysiological mechanisms. This study examined electroencephalography- (EEG-) assessed brain oscillation changes as potential mechanisms of cognitive therapy (CT), mindfulness-meditation (MM), and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) for CLBP. The a priori bandwidths of interest were changes in theta, alpha and beta power, measured at pre- and post-treatment. DESIGN: A secondary analysis of a clinical trial. SETTING: University of Queensland Psychology Clinic. SUBJECTS: Adults (N = 57) with CLBP who completed pre- and post-treatment EEG and pain outcome assessments. METHODS: EEG data were examined for five regions of interest (ROIs); the primary outcome was pain intensity. RESULTS: A significant reduction in theta (P=.015) and alpha (P=.006) power in the left frontal ROI across all treatments was found, although change in theta and alpha power in this region was not differentially associated with outcome across treatments. There were significant reductions in beta power in all five ROIs across all treatments (P≤.013). Beta power reduction in the central ROI showed a significant association with reduced pain intensity in MBCT only (P=.028). Changes in other regions were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide support for the capacity of psychological CLBP treatments to induce changes in brain activity. The reduced beta power in all five ROIs indicated that all three treatments engendered a state of lowered cortical arousal. The growing body of research in this area could potentially inform novel directions towards remedying central nervous system abnormalities associated with CLBP.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AdultBrainChronic PainCognitive Behavioral TherapyHumansLow Back PainMeditationMindfulnessTreatment Outcome
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations7
Citations/Year1.8
Relative Citation Ratio0.72
NIH Percentile38.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.50
Weight Score1.61
Normalized Score0.66
Related Supplements