Thicker brains fend off pain

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Montreal, February 24, 2010 — People can reduce their sensitivity to pain by thickening their brain, according to a new study published in a special issue of the American Psychological Association journal, Emotion. Researchers from the Universit茅 de Montr茅al made their discovery by comparing the grey matter thickness of Zen meditators and non-meditators. They found evidence that practicing the centuries-old discipline of Zen can reinforce a central brain region (anterior cingulate) that regulates pain.
“Through training, Zen meditators appear to thicken certain areas of their cortex and this appears to be underlie their lower sensitivity to pain,” says lead author Joshua A. Grant, a doctoral student in the Universit茅 de Montr茅al Department of Physiology and Institut universitaire de g茅riatrie de Montr茅al. “We found a relationship between cortical thickness and pain sensitivity, which supports our previous study on how Zen meditation regulates pain.”
As part of this study, scientists recruited 17 meditators and 18 non-meditators who in addition had never practiced yoga, experienced chronic pain, neurological or psychological illness. Grant and his team, under the direction of Pierre Rainville of the Universit茅 de Montr茅al and the Institut universitaire de g茅riatrie de Montr茅al, measured thermal pain sensitivity by applying a heated plate to the calf of participants and followed by scanning the brains of subjects with structural magnetic resonance imaging. According to MRI results, central brain regions that regulate emotion and pain were significantly thicker in meditators compared to non-meditators.
''“The often painful posture associated with Zen meditation may lead to thicker cortex and lower pain sensitivity,” says Grant, noting that meditative practices could be helpful in general for pain management, for preventing normal age-related grey matter reductions or potentially for any condition where the grey matter is compromised such as stroke.
Partners in research:
This study was supported jointly by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a Mind and Life Institute Varela Grant.
About the study:
The article, “Cortical Thickness and Pain Sensitivity in Zen Meditators,” published in the journal Emotion, was authored by Joshua A. Grant, J茅r么me Courtemanche, Emma Duerden, Gary H. Duncan and Pierre Rainville of the Universit茅 de Montr茅al and its affiliated Institut universitaire de g茅riatrie de Montr茅al.
On the Web:

• About the cited Emotion study: http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/emo/10/1/43.pdf
  
• About the Universit茅 de Montr茅al: www.umontreal.ca/english
  
• About the Department of Physiology: www.physio.umontreal.caAbout the Institut universitaire de g茅riatrie de Montr茅al: www.iugm.qc.ca