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Have you ever wondered why some people seemed to feel less pain than others? The answer may lie in vigilance, which could be targeted in the development of effective therapies for pain, say the researchers.
The results showed that people with greater dispositional awareness during a painful experience showed greater deactivation in a region of the brain called the posterior cingulate cortex – a central neural node in the default mode network.
They also experienced less pain.
In contrast, people with a lower degree of consciousness had greater activation of this part of the brain and also felt more pain.
"Mindfulness is linked to awareness of the present moment without much emotional reaction or judgment," said lead author Fadel Zeidan, assistant professor at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina, United States.
"We now know that some people are more aware than others, and these people seem to feel less pain," Zeidan added.
For the study, published in the journal PAIN, the team analyzed nearly 100 healthy volunteers to determine whether the dispositional alertness, the innate or natural level of consciousness of an individual was associated with a sensitivity to lower pain and identify the brain mechanisms involved.
Then, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, they were given painful thermal stimulation (120 ° F).
The default network extends from the posterior cingulate cortex to the medial prefrontal cortex of the brain. These two regions of the brain continually feed information in both directions. This network is associated with the treatment of self-feelings and errors of mind, Zeidan said.
"It is important to note that this work shows that we need to consider our level of attention when we calculate why and how we feel less or more pain.
"Based on our previous research, we know that we can increase alertness during relatively short periods of mindfulness meditation, so this could be an effective way of relieving the pain of millions of people with chronic pain."
IANS
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