Brain Mechanisms Supporting Meditation-based Analgesia

Changes in blood oxygenation levels to thermally noxious stimuli (49°C) will be assessed, and planned comparisons will be performed between subjects trained in mindfulness meditation and those trained in deep-breathing meditation.

The visual analog scale (VAS) measures pain ratings that will be assessed in response to noxious (49°C) thermal stimuli applied to the back of the right calf muscle.

Pain intensity and pain unpleasantness ratings will be assessed with a Visual Analog Scale. The minimum rating ("0") is designated as "no pain" whereas the maximum ("10") is labeled as "most intense imaginable" or "most unpleasant imaginable". Higher values corresponded to higher perceived pain ratings.

Baseline pain ratings will be assessed on session one and again at session six.

A respiratory transducer (TSD 201; Biopac Systems) will be placed around the chest to measure the paticipant's rate of respiration.

Pulse oximeter (OXY-MRI-SPO2; Biopac Systems) will be placed on the left index finger to measure the paticipant's heart rate.

This inventory is a 20 question test used to measure a subject's state of anxiety. A numeric value between 1 (Not at all) and 4 (Very Much So) is provided in response to each statement. The range of scores for this test is between 20 and 80, with higher scores reflecting higher estimates of anxiety.

The FMI is a 14 item measure of mindfulness. Each declarative statement is measured on a 4 point scale ranging from: 1 (Rarely) to 4 (Almost Always). A couple of the items are reverse scored. Higher scores reflect higher states of mindfulness.

This a 21-item multiple choice self-report inventory used to measure the severity of depression. A score between 0 and 3 is applied to each question. Higher total scores indicate more severe depressive symptoms.

0-9: indicates minimal depression 10-18: indicates mild depression 19-29: indicates moderate depression 30-63: indicates severe depression

The MISS includes five suggestibility subscales (consumer, physiological, physiological reactivity, persuadability, and peer conformity) and two companion scales (unpersuadability and the short suggestibility scale). The five suggestibility subscales can be summed to give the suggestibility total score. Higher values equate to higher levels of suggestibility.

PANAS is composed of two mood scales, one that measures positive affect and the other which measures negative affect. It uses a 20 item test that employs a 5-point rating scale ranging from very slightly or not at all (1) to extremely so (5). Positive affect scores and negative affect scores are calculated separately by adding each group independently. For the positive items, higher scores represent higher levels of positive affect. For the negative items, lower scores represent lower levels of negative affect.

The ATTI is used to monitor a participant's impressions and attitudes about the interventions used in this study (i.e. mindfulness meditation). It supplies 5 multiple-choice questions answered on a 10 point scale, ranging from 0 (not logical) to 9 (very logical). Higher scores reflect more positive subject impressions about the therapeutic interventions.

The PCS is a 13 item scale, with each item rated on a 5-point scale between: 0 (Not at all) and 4 (all the time). The PCS is broken into three subscales including: magnification, rumination, and helplessness. The total range of scores is between 0-52 with higher values reflecting more salient impacts of pain on one's day to day experience.

The PoMS is a psychological rating scale used to assess transient and distinct mood states. The POMS measures six different dimensions of mood swings over a period of time. These include: Tension or Anxiety, Anger or Hostility, Vigor or Activity, Fatigue or Inertia, Depression or Dejection, Confusion or Bewilderment. A five-point scale ranging from "not at all" (0) to "extremely" (4) is provided for participants to rate their mood to 65 descriptive adjectives. A total mood disturbance (TMD) score is computed from adding all subscales. High scores reflect high mood disturbance.