Figure 1.

First row (dispositional mindfulness): Greater deactivation of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus was associated with higher trait mindfulness (Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory) and lower pain during noxious heat stimulation.¹⁴² Second row (brief mindfulness training): Higher mindfulness meditation-induced activation of the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC), and greater thalamic deactivation was associated with greater pain relief during noxious heat.¹⁴¹ Third row (extensive mindfulness training): When compared with age-matched controls, adept Zen meditators exhibited significant decoupling in low-level pain-related brain activation (thalamus) and brain regions that process appraisals and affect (medial OFC [mOFC] and dorsolateral PFC [DLPFC]) during noxious heat stimulation.⁴⁵