ArticlePain medicine (Malden, Mass.)2021
A Virtual Reality Meditative Intervention Modulates Pain and the Pain Neuromatrix in Patients with Opioid Use Disorder.
Article in Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Applications of Immersive Virtual Reality for Illicit Substance Use: A Systematic Review.Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review of virtual reality therapies for substance use disorders: Impact on secondary treatment outcomes.The American journal on addictions · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of meditation compared to music listening on biomarkers in breast cancer survivors with cognitive complaints: secondary outcomes of a pilot randomized control trial.Explore (New York, N.Y.)Trial
- Are virtual reality (VR) interventions for substance use disorders designed for implementation? A rapid review of platform characteristics and clinical fit.Research square · 2026Article
- Pain assessment tools in patients with substance use disorders: a systematic scoping review.Addiction science & clinical practice · 2026Article
- Pharmacological and behavioral pain treatment strategies for patients with opioid use disorder.Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy · 2025Review
- Impact of societal change on anesthesia practice in Japan.Journal of anesthesia · 2025Article
- Abnormal Alterations of the White Matter Structural Network in Patients with Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia.Brain topography · 2025Article
- Transcending Self Therapy-Virtual Reality (TST-VR) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Completion in Veterans.Journal of medical extended reality · 2024Article
- Virtual Reality in Acute and Chronic Pain Medicine: An Updated Review.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Review
- Smaller Hippocampal Volume Is Associated With Reduced Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children With Cancer and Survivors Following a Brief Novel Martial Arts-Based Intervention.Archives of clinical neuropsychology : the official journal of the National Academy of Neuropsychologists · 2024Article
- Pain in Huntington's disease and its potential mechanisms.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2023Review
- Application of Virtual Reality Technology in Clinical Practice, Teaching, and Research in Complementary and Alternative Medicine.Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveStandard of care for opioid use disorder (OUD) includes medication and counseling. However, there is an unmet need for complementary approaches to treat OUD patients coping with pain; furthermore, few studies have probed neurobiological features of pain or its management during OUD treatment. This preliminary study examines neurobiological and behavioral effects of a virtual reality-based meditative intervention in patients undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MMT).
designProspective, non-blinded, single-arm, 12-week intervention with standardized assessments.
settingAcademic research laboratory affiliated with an on-site MMT clinic.
methodsFifteen (11 female) MMT patients completed a virtual reality, therapist-guided meditative intervention that included breathing and relaxation exercisessessions were scheduled twice weekly. Assessments included functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of pain neuromatrix activation and connectivity (pre- and post-intervention), saliva cortisol and C-reactive protein (CRP) at baseline and weeks 4, 8 and 12; and self-reported pain and affective symptoms before and after each intervention session.
resultsAfter each intervention session (relative to pre-session), ratings of pain, opioid craving, anxiety and depression (but not anger) decreased. Saliva cortisol (but not CRP) levels decreased from pre- to post-session. From pre- to post-intervention fMRI assessments, pain task-related left postcentral gyrus (PCG) activation decreased. At baseline, PCG showed positive connectivity with other regions of the pain neuromatrix, but this pattern changed post-intervention.
conclusionsThese preliminary findings demonstrate feasibility, therapeutic promise, and brain basis of a meditative intervention for OUD patients undergoing MMT.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.