meditation

A recent study, featured in Biological Psychiatry, has unraveled the distinctive neurobiological mechanisms at play when utilizing mindfulness meditation to alleviate pain, indicating that its effects surpass the placebo response. Led by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, the study employed sophisticated brain imaging technologies to compare the impact of mindfulness meditation, a placebo cream, and sham mindfulness meditation on pain reduction in healthy individuals. Findings from the study revealed that mindfulness meditation triggered significant decreases in both pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings, accompanied by a reduction in brain activity patterns associated with pain and negative emotions. In contrast, the placebo cream solely impacted...