Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2021
Carolane Desmarteaux, Anouk Streff, Jen-I Chen et al.
11 citations
Listening to verbal suggestions of increased or decreased pain, after a hypnosis induction, produces brain activity changes that predict how the brain later responds to painful stimuli. Suggestions of hyperalgesia and hypoalgesia, compared to control suggestions, decreased brain activity in the parietal operculum and anterior midcingulate cortex, and increased activity in the left parahippocampal gyrus. These activity changes predicted larger pain-evoked brain responses after hyperalgesia suggestions and smaller pain-evoked responses after hypoalgesia suggestions, consistent with participants' reported pain perception. The findings suggest that verbal suggestions transform into predictive signals that modulate pain processing, supporting a predictive coding framework.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2023
Daniella Batievsky, Michelle Weiner, Shari B Kaplan et al.
8 citations
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAPT) may reduce symptoms in people with both chronic pain and major depressive disorder. In an observational pilot study, ten participants received either high-dose intramuscular ketamine before therapy (psychedelic approach) or low-dose sublingual lozenges during therapy (psycholytic approach). Depression, pain, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms declined in all participants over six sessions. The psychedelic group showed larger and more consistent decreases. No statistically significant differences between the two approaches were found, likely due to the small sample size. The findings suggest KAPT may be effective for this comorbidity, with the psychedelic approach possibly more beneficial.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2024
Sonia Medina, Owen O'Daly, Matthew A Howard et al.
5 citations
Mind-body treatments such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and a psychoeducational program (FibroQoL) reduced pain catastrophizing in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Using resting-state fMRI, the study found that MBSR specifically reduced functional connectivity within the sensorimotor network compared to a treatment-as-usual group. Baseline connectivity between the salience network and sensorimotor network predicted pain reduction differently for each treatment: negatively for MBSR and positively for FibroQoL, with large to very large effect sizes. Among MBSR patients with lower baseline connectivity, more mindfulness practice was linked to greater clinical improvement. These results suggest that different mind-body treatments engage distinct brain networks and that functional connectivity measures could serve as predictors of treatment response.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2024
Minjung Shim, Monica Gaydos, Natasha Goldstein-Levitas et al.
4 citations
A 12-week group program that combines mindfulness with dance and movement therapy was tested for feasibility in 18 adults with chronic low back pain. The program achieved 80% adherence and 100% retention, with 61% of participants reporting feeling better or a great deal better. No adverse events occurred. Participants described the intervention as enjoyable and reported that it provided practical tools for managing pain, reduced fear-avoidance behaviors, increased motivation for physical activity, and boosted confidence in managing pain. The findings suggest the intervention is acceptable and promising, supporting larger trials.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2023
Jonathan E Dickinson, Jose Adalberto Dominguez Inzunza, Liliana Perez-Villa et al.
3 citations
A 53-year-old man with two decades of severe, intractable neuropathic pain from brachial plexus nerve root avulsion due to vehicular trauma was successfully treated with both high-dose inpatient and low-dose outpatient ibogaine. Ibogaine, an indole alkaloid, acts on multiple neurotransmitter systems (NMDA, κ- and µ-opioid, σ2 receptors) and stimulates neurotrophic factors GDNF and BDNF. While promising, the adverse effects of high-dose ibogaine may limit its tolerability to the most refractory cases.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2023
Ramakrishnan Mani, Divya Bharatkumar Adhia, Sharon Awatere et al.
3 citations
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic pain condition linked to altered brain activity. Self-regulation training, such as mindfulness meditation (MM) and electroencephalography neurofeedback (EEG-NF), may reduce pain. This double-blind, three-arm randomized controlled feasibility trial will compare MM plus usual care, EEG-NF plus usual care, and usual care alone. Participants with knee OA will be recruited from the community and healthcare practices; interventions involve 20-minute sessions, four times weekly for three weeks. Feasibility measures include recruitment, adherence, retention, and safety. Secondary outcomes are assessed at baseline, immediately post-intervention, and at three months. Qualitative interviews will explore participants' experiences, barriers, facilitators, and acceptability, including Māori perspectives. Results will inform a full randomized controlled trial.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2023
Carole A Paley, Mark I Johnson
3 citations
Mindfulness can be a core element of salutogenic approaches to promote health and well-being for people living with chronic pain by rebuilding a fractured sense of coherence. Mindfulness techniques mediate neural processing and neuroplastic changes that alleviate pain, promote self-regulatory activity, regulate emotion, and catalyze health behavior changes. Integrating mindfulness into daily activities and community-based activities may help people live well with or without pain. Future research should examine mindfulness effects in real-life settings, considering social, environmental, and economic factors.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2025
Shahar Almog, Michelle Weiner, Jessica N Howarth et al.
Chronic pain involves both physical and psychological factors. A proposed multidisciplinary approach combines low-dose ketamine with pain-focused psychological and somatic therapies to improve quality of life for disabled chronic pain patients. Beyond pain reduction, the treatment aims to reduce suffering and improve pain management, functionality, and quality of life. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach can minimize ketamine exposure and maintain a conservative dosing regimen. Ketamine is used not only for analgesic effects but also to facilitate internal psychological processes of body-mind integration related to pain identity and trauma. The approach is illustrated with three cases treated in a private clinic in Florida, describing original injury, treatment regimen, and short- and longer-term outcomes from the patient's perspective. These preliminary results require replication with validated measures.
Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland)
January 1, 2025
Rebecca Stewing, Thomas Forkmann, Elisabeth Vögtle et al.
A brief mindfulness intervention given to 93 female students waiting for an experimental pressure-pain task increased their state mindfulness but did not reduce perceived pain intensity. Participants who were instructed to worry about the upcoming pain reported higher pain intensity afterward, consistent with known negative effects of worry. No significant differences in pain ratings emerged between the mindfulness, worry, and control groups overall, and pain intensity did not change from baseline to post-intervention across conditions. The findings suggest that a single session of mindfulness can boost momentary mindfulness but may not affect the sensory component of acute pain; future work should examine effects on the emotional aspect of pain.