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Introduction: This study examines the effects of a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on psychological measures and attentional patterns to pain stimuli, using eye-tracking methods, in individuals with chronic pain., Method: Thirty-two participants with chronic pain and no prior mindfulness experience were randomly assigned to an experimental group or a waiting list group. Both groups completed self-report measures of symptoms, well-being, and an attentional disengagement task using emotional faces as stimuli. Assessments were conducted at two points: before and after the intervention for the experimental group, with the waiting list group serving as a control., Results: Before the MBSR program, chronic pain participants exhibited significant attentional biases towards pain-related stimuli during early attentional stages. Following the program, significant improvements were observed in depression, anxiety, stress, pain acceptance, overall well-being, and life satisfaction. However, it had a limited impact on attentional patterns, with only a significant increase in gaze duration across all stimuli., Discussion: Despite the MBSR program's success in reducing symptoms associated with chronic pain, the lack of broader attentional improvements raises questions about the mechanisms responsible for psychological improvements., Significance Statement: This study pioneers the use of eye-tracking to examine how MBSR influences attention in chronic back pain. While the program improved psychological well-being, it did not generally alter attentional patterns, except for an increased ability to maintain attention across stimuli. We discuss whether this attentional change could be associated with the increased acceptance observed in the MBSR program., (© 2024 The Author(s). European Journal of Pain published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Pain Federation ‐ EFIC ®.)

Introduction: The main objective of the study will be to evaluate the effects of two widely used standardized mindfulness-based programs [Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)], on epigenetic, neurobiological, psychological, and physiological variables., Methods: The programs will be offered in an intensive retreat format in a general population sample of healthy volunteer adults. During a 7-day retreat, participants will receive MBSR and CCT in a crossover design where participants complete both programs in random order. After finishing their first 3-day training with one of the two programs, participants will be assigned to the second 3-day training with the second program. The effects of the MBSR and CCT programs, and their combination, will be measured by epigenetic changes (i.e., DNA methylation biomarkers), neurobiological and psychophysiological measures (i.e., EEG resting state, EKG, respiration patterns, and diurnal cortisol slopes), self-report questionnaires belonging to different psychological domains (i.e., mindfulness, compassion, well-being, distress, and general functioning), and stress tasks (i.e., an Arithmetic Stress Test and the retrieval of negative autobiographical memories). These measures will be collected from both groups on the mornings of day 1 (pre-program), day 4 (after finishing the first program and before beginning the second program), and day 7 (post-second program). We will conduct a 3-month and a 12-month follow-up using only the set of self-report measures., Discussion: This study aims to shed light on the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms linked to meditation and compassion in the general population. The protocol was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT05516355; August 23, 2022)., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2023 Diez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

A substantial part of the research on the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions on mood regulation is conducted in the laboratory. Nevertheless, a systematic review of the results is lacking. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness as an emotion regulation (ER) strategy when using mood induction procedures. A systematic search of databases was conducted and a total of 43 studies were included in the meta-analysis. We found a small significant overall effect size of mindfulness [g= -0.15 (95% CI [-0.30, -0.01], p = 0.04)], which became non-significant after removing outliers (g=-0.15, p = 0.06). We also found high levels of heterogeneity which was not explained by the moderating variables analyzed. Thus, there is limited meta-analytic evidence of the efficacy of mindfulness strategies in down-regulating or preventing heightened or chronic effects of induced mood states in well-controlled laboratory settings. We propose that this could be partially due to some limitations in laboratory methodologies and suggest some guidelines to overcome them in future primary research., Competing Interests: Declaration of interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aims to study the effect of mindfulness-based program on the psychological, biomechanical and inflammatory domains of patients with chronic low back pain., Methods: A multicentre randomized and controlled clinical trial of parallel groups in patients with chronic low back pain between March 2019 to March 2020. Participants with no experience in mindfulness based intervention, were randomized to receive (36 patients) or not (34 patients) mindfulness-based stress reduction program for chronic back pain (MBSR-CBP). The program was performed in 9 sessions. Patients with chronic low back pain due to symptomatic discopathy (degenerative disc disease or herniated disc) were included. The principal outcome was changes in the blood level of cortisol and cytokines (tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF- α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-17 (IL-17)). Secondary outcomes (psychological factors, pain, and quality of life) were measured by validated questionnaires., Results: Of the 96 randomized patients, 70 who completed the study were included in the analysis (mean [range] age: 53 [33-73] years; 66% females). MBSR-CBP stopped the increase in cortisol, and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β (p = 0.05). It reduced depression (p = 0.046) and stress (p = 0.0438), perceived pain (p < 0.0001), and limitations related to health (p < 0.0001). It also increased the physical function (p = 0.002) and sleep quality (p = 0.05). Furthermore, it significantly increased life satisfaction (0.006), well-being (p = 0.001) and vitality (p < 0.0001). It also increased self-compassion (p < 0.0001) and significantly reduced the overidentification (p<0.0001) and catastrophization (p = 0.002)., Conclusions: MBSR-CBP could be part of a multidisciplinary approach in the management of patients suffering from chronic low back pain., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Outside the submitted work, Dr. Alkhraisat and Dr. Anitua are researchers at BTI Biotechnology Institute., (Copyright: © 2022 Diez et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The affiliation for the seventh author is incorrect. The correct affiliations are not indicated. Pablo Roca is not affiliated with #1 and #6 but with: Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Villanueva, Spain and Valencian International University, Valencia, Spain.By Gustavo G. Diez; Ignacio Martin-Subero; Rosaria M. Zangri; Marta Kulis; Catherine Andreu; Ivan Blanco; Pablo Roca; Pablo Cuesta; Carola García; Jesús Garzón; Carlos Herradón; Miguel Riutort; Shishir Baliyan; César Venero and Carmelo VázquezReported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]