Brain Mechanisms Supporting Mindfulness Meditation-Induced Pain and Stress Relief

项目摘要 压力和慢性疼痛障碍是压力加剧疼痛的共病状态。正念 冥想，一种非阿片类药物和自我调节的技术，它训练非反应性意识来产生 感官和情感事件，减少临床和实验引起的疼痛和压力。我们最近 完成的心理物理和功能磁共振成像(FMRI)研究发现，4，20分钟 健康参与者的正念训练可以减少压力(39%，p=0.023)和疼痛强度( 32%，p&lt；.001)对有毒高温(49°C)的反应。压力减轻也预示着较低的疼痛强度(p =.013)。周围扣带前皮质(PgACC)，一个认知-情感脑区，参与 重新评估与杏仁核有关，杏仁核是大脑中参与感觉和情绪处理的关键区域。 具有调节疼痛和压力的能力，并且有着广泛的解剖联系。我们的实验室有 证明了pgACC活动的增加是正念诱导的疼痛和焦虑减少的基础 健康的人，而正念诱导的杏仁核失活已被证明与 通过不同的研究缓解疼痛和压力。尽管有这些发现，但还没有研究确定 正念冥想通过调节pgACC和相应的 伤害性和负性影响特定脑区的神经活动及其之间的连接。为此， 我们将分析与我们的行为发现相对应的血氧水平依赖的fMRI数据进行测试 以下是假设。我们将首先确定高pgACC(HYP1a)和下杏仁核(HYP1b)是否 正念期间的活动与更高的疼痛/压力缓解有关。接下来我们将确定是否增加了 PgACC-杏仁核功能连接与正念诱导的疼痛(HYP1c)和压力缓解相关 (HYP1d)我们的初步分析发现，正念诱导的止痛与减少 机器学习的多变量fMRI信号对伤害敏感和特异(神经疼痛信号； NPS，p=.03)和刺激引起的负面影响(p=.01)。我们将同样确定，如果减少 消极情绪的大脑反应对应于压力缓解(HYP2a)。最后，我们将确认是否增加了NPS- (HYP2b)和负面情绪信号-(HYP2c)pgACC连接与疼痛和/或压力有关 如释重负。拟议的研究和培训将在我的赞助商Co- 赞助商和联合导师，他们是关于疼痛、冥想和/或压力的功能磁共振临床试验的专家。活动 包括：a)关于引起疼痛程序以及统计和计算技术、编程和 用于分析行为和功能磁共振数据的神经解剖学b)与慢性疼痛患者的伦理互动 和压力，c)经过科学验证的正念训练，d)促进职业发展战略。这个 所获得的知识和技能将为我作为一名独立的认知者成功驾驭职业生涯做好准备 神经学家发现了治疗疼痛和其他健康疾病的新疗法的大脑机制。

Project Summary Stress and chronic pain disorders are comorbid conditions wherein stress exacerbates pain. Mindfulness meditation, a non-opioidergic and self-regulatory technique that trains non-reactive awareness to arising sensory and affective events, reduces clinical and experimentally induced pain and stress. Our recently completed psychophysical and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study found that four, 20-minute sessions of mindfulness training in healthy participants reduced stress ( 39%, p = .023) and pain intensity ( 32%, p < .001) in response to noxious heat (49°C). Stress reductions also predicted lower pain intensity (p = .013). The perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC), a cognitive-affective brain area involved in reappraisal, and the amygdala, a key brain area involved in sensory and emotional processing, are associated with modulating pain and stress and share extensive anatomical connections. Our laboratory has demonstrated that increased pgACC activity underlies mindfulness-induced reductions in pain and anxiety in healthy individuals, while mindfulness-induced deactivation of the amygdala has been shown to correlate with pain and stress relief across separate studies. Despite these findings, no study has determined whether mindfulness meditation promotes stress relief and analgesia by modulating the pgACC and corresponding neural activity in and connectivity between nociceptive and negative affect-specific brain regions. To this end, we will analyze the blood-oxygen-level-dependent fMRI data corresponding to our behavioral findings to test the following hypotheses. We will first determine if higher pgACC (HYP1a) and lower amygdala (HYP1b) activity during mindfulness is associated with higher pain/stress relief. We will next determine if increased pgACC-amygdalar functional connectivity correlates with mindfulness-induced pain (HYP1c) and stress relief (HYP1d). Our preliminary analyses found that mindfulness-induced analgesia correlates with reductions in machine-learned, multivariate fMRI signatures sensitive and specific to nociception (neurologic pain signature; NPS, p = .03) and stimulus-induced negative affect (p = .01). We will similarly determine if reductions in negative affect brain responses correspond to stress relief (HYP2a). Finally, we will confirm if increased NPS- (HYP2b) and negative affect signature- (HYP2c) pgACC connectivity is associated with pain and/or stress relief. The proposed research and training will be accomplished under the mentorship of my Sponsor, Co- sponsors, and Co-Mentor, who are experts in fMRI clinical trials on pain, meditation, and/or stress. Activities include a) training in pain-evoking procedures and statistical and computational techniques, programming, and neuroanatomy for analysis of behavioral and fMRI data b) ethical interactions with individuals with chronic pain and stress, c) scientifically validated mindfulness training, and d) fostering career development strategies. The knowledge and skills gained will prepare me to successfully navigate a career as an independent cognitive neuroscientist identifying the brain mechanisms of novel treatments for pain and comorbid health ailments.