Reduced Pain Sensation and Reduced BOLD Signal in Parietofrontal Networks during Religious Prayer.
Reduced Pain Sensation and Reduced BOLD Signal in Parietofrontal Networks during Religious Prayer.
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DOI：
10.3389/fnhum.2017.00337
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发表时间：
2017
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Jensen TS
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Elmholdt EM;Skewes J;Dietz M;Møller A;Jensen MS;Roepstorff A;Wiech K;Jensen TS
先前的研究表明，宗教祈祷可以通过预期机制改变痛苦的体验。虽然与其他类型的自上而下的疼痛调节相关的大脑过程已被广泛研究，但尚未对积极的宗教应对的潜在影响进行过研究。在这里，我们旨在研究祈祷调节疼痛的神经机制及其对阿片能系统的依赖。28名虔诚的新教徒在两次功能磁共振成像（fMRI）过程中，在痛苦的电刺激下进行了宗教祈祷和世俗对比祈祷。扫描前给予纳洛酮或生理盐水。结果表明，与世俗祈祷相比，宗教祈祷的疼痛强度降低了11%，疼痛不愉快程度降低了26%。预期预测了疼痛强度差异的很大一部分（70-89%）。神经成像结果显示，在宗教祈祷期间，相对于世俗情况，一个大的顶叶网络的神经活动减少。纳洛酮对评分和神经活动没有显著影响。因此，我们的研究结果表明，在这些条件下，祈祷对疼痛的调节并不依赖于阿片类药物。进一步的研究应该采用优化设计来探索额顶叶系统的减少参与是否表明祈祷可能通过减少疼痛刺激显著性和前额叶控制的处理而不是通过已知的下行疼痛抑制系统来减轻疼痛。
Previous studies suggest that religious prayer can alter the experience of pain via expectation mechanisms. While brain processes related to other types of top-down modulation of pain have been studied extensively, no research has been conducted on the potential effects of active religious coping. Here, we aimed at investigating the neural mechanisms during pain modulation by prayer and their dependency on the opioidergic system. Twenty-eight devout Protestants performed religious prayer and a secular contrast prayer during painful electrical stimulation in two fMRI sessions. Naloxone or saline was administered prior to scanning. Results show that pain intensity was reduced by 11% and pain unpleasantness by 26% during religious prayer compared to secular prayer. Expectancy predicted large amounts (70–89%) of the variance in pain intensity. Neuroimaging results revealed reduced neural activity during religious prayer in a large parietofrontal network relative to the secular condition. Naloxone had no significant effect on ratings or neural activity. Our results thus indicate that, under these conditions, pain modulation by prayer is not opioid-dependent. Further studies should employ an optimized design to explore whether reduced engagement of the frontoparietal system could indicate that prayer may attenuate pain through a reduction in processing of pain stimulus saliency and prefrontal control rather than through known descending pain inhibitory systems.