This study aims at assessing neuro-behavioral changes occuring during an intensive ten days meditation retreat. The investigator will study changes in tactile, auditory and pain perceptions as well as changes in cognitive and affective mental contents and their neural markers, as measured by self-reports, EEG event-related potentials, and functional connectivity of resting state fMRI. He will recruit healthy participants with a prior meditation experience. They will be randomly assigned to two groups, one active group who will undergo measurements just before, during and 3 weeks after the retreat. The other group will serve of control for task habituation, control participants will undergo the same measurements, equally spaced in time, but before the retreat. The main hypothesis is that meditation training strengthens meta-awareness, attention capacities resulting in enhanced bodily- and self-awareness during sensory perception and emotion regulation during pain.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
58
The intervention consists in a 10 days contemplative retreat, with 6 to 8 hours of sitting and walking meditation per day, and 1 or 2 hours of meditation teachings. The meditation practice will mainly train in mindfulness practice. Mindfulness meditation intends to train attention to detect and regulate afflictive cognitive and emotional patterns. Mindfulness practice requires skills involved in openness to experience, in monitoring the focus of attention and in detecting distraction, disengaging attention from the source of distraction, and flexibly (re)directing and engaging attention to the intended object. A brief introduction to loving-kindness and compassion meditation will also be present throughout the retreat.
At the time of measure, participants in this group are waiting to participate to the same meditation retreat as the active group. They may perform their own daily meditation practices as usual.
Centre de Recherche en Neuroscience de Lyon
Bron, France
changes in matched forces (Newtons) during a force-matching task.
Bodily awareness following meditation training could impact the attenuation of real tactile sensations during self-generated touch. Measurement of pressure force will be done through a force-matching paradigm.
Time frame: 1 or 2 days before the start of the retreat
changes in matched forces (Newtons) during a force-matching task.
Bodily awareness following meditation training could impact the attenuation of real tactile sensations during self-generated touch. Measurement of pressure force will be done through a force-matching paradigm.
Time frame: 7 days later
changes in matched forces (Newtons) during a force-matching task.
Bodily awareness following meditation training could impact the attenuation of real tactile sensations during self-generated touch. Measurement of pressure force will be done through a force-matching paradigm.
Time frame: at least 3 weeks after the end of the retreat
changes in EEG an auditory evoked response called the mismatch negativity (microVolt)
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could downregulate the automatic formation of perceptual habits. Measurement of auditory evoked potentials will be done through Biosemi 64 electrodes EEG net during an auditory oddball task.
Time frame: 1 or 2 days before the start of the retreat
changes in EEG an auditory evoked response called the mismatch negativity (microVolt)
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could downregulate the automatic formation of perceptual habits. Measurement of auditory evoked potentials will be done through Biosemi 64 electrodes EEG net during an auditory oddball task.
Time frame: 7 days later
changes in EEG an auditory evoked response called the mismatch negativity (microVolt)
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could downregulate the automatic formation of perceptual habits. Measurement of auditory evoked potentials will be done through Biosemi 64 electrodes EEG net during an auditory oddball task.
Time frame: at least 3 weeks after the end of the retreat
changes in EEG pain-related evoked responses (microVolt)
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could downregulate pain catastrophizing. Measurement pain-related evoked potentials will be done through Biosemi 64 electrodes EEG net during a pain characterization task.
Time frame: 1 or 2 days before the start of the retreat
changes in EEG pain-related evoked responses (microVolt)
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could downregulate pain catastrophizing. Measurement pain-related evoked potentials will be done through Biosemi 64 electrodes EEG net during a pain characterization task.
Time frame: 7 days later
changes in EEG pain-related evoked responses (microVolt)
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could downregulate pain catastrophizing. Measurement pain-related evoked potentials will be done through Biosemi 64 electrodes EEG net during a pain characterization task.
Time frame: at least 3 weeks after the end of the retreat
Changes in perceived pain intensity during a pain paradigm
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could regulate the cognitive-affective pain amplificatory processes. Scales ranging from no intensity or unpleasantness, to highest pain intensity or unpleasantness experienced in life will be used during a pain characterization task.
Time frame: 1 or 2 days before the start of the retreat
Changes in perceived pain intensity during a pain paradigm
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could regulate the cognitive-affective pain amplificatory processes. Scales ranging from no intensity or unpleasantness, to highest pain intensity or unpleasantness experienced in life will be used during a pain characterization task.
Time frame: 7 days later
Changes in perceived pain intensity during a pain paradigm
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could regulate the cognitive-affective pain amplificatory processes. Scales ranging from no intensity or unpleasantness, to highest pain intensity or unpleasantness experienced in life will be used during a pain characterization task.
Time frame: at least 3 weeks after the end of the retreat
Changes in perceived pain unpleasantness during a pain paradigm.
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could regulate the cognitive-affective pain amplificatory processes. Scales ranging from no intensity or unpleasantness, to highest pain intensity or unpleasantness experienced in life will be used during a pain characterization task.
Time frame: at least 3 weeks after the end of the retreat
Changes in perceived pain unpleasantness during a pain paradigm.
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could regulate the cognitive-affective pain amplificatory processes. Scales ranging from no intensity or unpleasantness, to highest pain intensity or unpleasantness experienced in life will be used during a pain characterization task.
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Time frame: 1 or 2 days before the start of the retreat
Changes in perceived pain unpleasantness during a pain paradigm.
Moment-to-moment monitoring and emotion regulation following meditation training could regulate the cognitive-affective pain amplificatory processes. Scales ranging from no intensity or unpleasantness, to highest pain intensity or unpleasantness experienced in life will be used during a pain characterization task.
Time frame: 7 days later
Changes in BOLD functional connectivities at rest and during mindfulness meditation within and between the salience, default mode and executive brain networks
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: 1 to 7 days before the start of the retreat
Changes in BOLD functional connectivities at rest and during mindfulness meditation within and between the salience, default mode and executive brain networks
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: 1 to 7 days after the end of the retreat
Changes in BOLD functional connectivities at rest and during mindfulness meditation within and between the salience, default mode and executive brain networks
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: at least 3 weeks after the end of the retreat
Changes in macroscale functional organization of brain BOLD activity at rest or in meditation
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: 1 to 7 days before the start of the retreat
Changes in macroscale functional organization of brain BOLD activity in meditation
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: 1 to 7 days before the start of the retreat
Changes in macroscale functional organization of brain BOLD activity at rest or in meditation
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: 1 to 7 days after the end of the retreat
Changes in macroscale functional organization of brain BOLD activity in meditation
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: 1 to 7 days after the end of the retreat
Changes in macroscale functional organization of brain BOLD activity at rest or in meditation
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: at least 3 weeks after the end of the retreat
Changes in macroscale functional organization of brain BOLD activity in meditation
Moment-to-moment monitoring following meditation training could regulate different attention related brain networks. Brain structural anatomy will be recorded in a 3-Tesla fMRI scaner during rest, and BOLD signal activation during rest and meditation states.
Time frame: at least 3 weeks after the end of the retreat
Changes in experiential thought sampling thoughout the meditation retreat.
Moment-to-moment monitoring of thougts and emotions during intensive meditation training could regulate mind-wandering and mood. Different scales of thoughts content, emotional valence and awareness of them will be recorded
Time frame: every day from day 1 to day 10 of the retreat