Oxytocin Modulation in Mindfulness-Based Pain Management for Chronic Pain.
Life (Basel, Switzerland) February 15, 2024 Oytun Aygün, Emily Mohr, Colin Duff et al. 8 citations
An 8-week Mindfulness-Based Pain Management program increased oxytocin levels in chronic pain patients compared to a wait-list control group, while cytokine and DHEA-S levels decreased but not to statistically significant margins. The attenuation of DHEA-S, a stress marker, without reaching statistical significance suggests pain reduction was not solely due to stress reduction, pointing to oxytocin pathways as more salient than previously considered. Psychological assessments showed substantial improvements in pain perception and mood. The study included 50 chronic pain patients and 15 healthy controls, with salivary assays measuring endocrine markers, oxytocin, and inflammatory cytokines.