Mindfulness-based stress reduction alters brain activity for breast cancer survivors with chronic neuropathic pain: preliminary evidence from resting-state fMRI.
J Cancer Surviv
; 15(4): 518-525, 2021 08.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33000446
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.Key words
Full text:
1
Database:
MEDLINE
Therapeutic Methods and Therapies TCIM:
Terapias_mente_y_cuerpo
/
Meditacion
Main subject:
Breast Neoplasms
/
Mindfulness
/
Cancer Survivors
/
Neuralgia
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
J Cancer Surviv
Year:
2021
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Canada