Meditation Effects on Brain Function in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the neural mechanisms supporting meditation-based pain relief in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. The scientific premise is that RA patients' use of different meditation practices during noxious thermal stimulation will alter neural function in brain areas associated with pain, evaluation, and emotional appraisal. The investigators will randomize RA patients to a brief 4-session course of Intervention A (n=20) or Intervention B (n=20). At post-intervention, participants will undergo functional MRI (fMRI) using a perfusion-based arterial spin labeling (ASL) technique during noxious thermal stimulation to determine if the meditation practices differentially alter neural function during noxious thermal stimulation.

Conditions

• Rheumatoid Arthritis

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Meditation Intervention A

This will be a brief meditation intervention involving guided breathing and/or attention exercises. Further information is withheld to preserve blinding.

BEHAVIORAL

Meditation Intervention B

This will be a brief meditation intervention involving guided breathing and/or attention exercises. Further information is withheld to preserve blinding.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Maryland, Baltimore

  collaborator OTHER

• University of California, San Diego

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Utah

  collaborator OTHER

• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

  collaborator NIH

• Johns Hopkins University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Claudia Campbell, Ph.D. · Johns Hopkins University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

OTHER

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

30 Years

Max Age

70 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2019-10-07

Primary Completion

2021-10-31

Completion

2021-10-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations