Smith AM, Leeming A, Fang Z, Hatchard T, Mioduszewski O, Schneider MA, Ferdossifard A, Shergill Y, Khoo EL, Poulin P. Mindfulness-based stress reduction alters brain activity for breast cancer survivors with chronic neuropathic pain: preliminary evidence from resting-state fMRI.
J Cancer Surviv 2020;
15:518-525. [PMID:
33000446 DOI:
10.1007/s11764-020-00945-0]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE
Breast cancer continues to be the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Canadian women, with as many as 25-60% of women suffering from chronic neuropathic pain (CNP) as a pervasive consequence of treatment. While pharmacological interventions have shown limited efficacy for the management of CNP to date, psychological interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), may be a promising alterative for improving pain-related problems. The purpose of this study was to use brain imaging methods to investigate this potential.
METHODS
Resting-state fMRI was used in female breast cancer survivors with CNP before and after an 8-week MBSR course (n = 13) and compared with a waitlist control group (n = 10).
RESULTS
Focusing on the default mode network, the most significant results show greater posterior cingulate connectivity with medial prefrontal regions post-MBSR intervention. Moreover, this change in connectivity correlated with reduced pain severity for the MBSR group.
CONCLUSIONS
These results provide empirical evidence of a change in the brain following MBSR intervention associated with changes in the subjective experience of pain.
IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS
This study gives hope for a non-invasive method of easing the struggle of CNP in women following breast cancer treatment.
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