Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Migraine and Meditation: Characteristics of Cortical Activity and Stress Coping in Migraine Patients, Meditators and Healthy Controls—An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study

  • Published:
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this exploratory cross-sectional study was to investigate the characteristics of cortical activity and stress coping in migraine patients, meditation experienced subjects, and healthy controls. 45 meditation experienced subjects, 46 migraine patients, and 46 healthy controls took part in the study. Cortical activity was measured with the contingent negative variation (CNV), a slow cortical event-related potential. Stress coping was examined with the standardized Stress Coping Questionnaire SVF-78. A one-way analysis of variance was used to investigate possible differences between the groups. CNV-amplitude was significantly higher in migraineurs than in controls. The meditators showed significantly lowest amplitudes. Migraine patients used negative stress-coping strategies significantly more often than meditators and healthy controls. Especially the application of the strategy “rumination” was most frequent in migraine patients and least frequent in meditators. Moreover, frequent rumination was significantly correlated with high CNV-amplitudes. Cortical and stress processing in people with meditation experience was improved compared to migraine patients and healthy controls.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ambrosini, A., & Schoenen, J. (2003). The electrophysiology of migraine. Current Opinion in Neurology, 16(3), 327–331.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Böcker, K. B. E., Timsit-Berthier, M., Schoenen, J., & Brunia, C. H. M. (1990). Contingent negative variation in migraine. Headache, 30(9), 604–609.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brain Products. (2007). Brain Vision Recorder version 1.20, Software for EEG-recording. Brain Vision Analyzer version 1.05, Software for EEG-analysis. Gilching: Brain Products GmbH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, L. E., Speca, M., Patel, K. D., & Goodey, E. (2003). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress, and immune parameters in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 571–581.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, L. E., Speca, M., Patel, K. D., & Goodey, E. (2004). Mindfulness-based stress reduction in relation to quality of life, mood, symptoms of stress and levels of cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and melatonin in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 29, 448–474.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chatterjee, A., Ray, K., Panjwani, U., Thakur, L., & Anand, J. P. (2012). Meditation as an intervention for cognitive disturbances following total sleep deprivation. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 136(6), 1031–1038.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2009). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for stress management in healthy people: A review and meta-analysis. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 15(5), 593–600.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chiesa, A., & Serretti, A. (2010). A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations. Psychological Medicine, 40(8), 1239–1252.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coppola, G., Di Lorenzo, C., Schoenen, J., & Pierelli, F. (2013). Habituation and sensitization in primary headaches. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 14(65), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, R. J. (2004a). Presentation at “Mind and Life Summer Research Institute 2004”. Garrison Institute, Garrison, New York, July 21–26, 2004, Talk # 19. (DVD video recording).

  • Davidson, R. J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, J., et al. (2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 564–570.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Day, M. A., Thorn, B. E., & Rubin, N. J. (2014). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for the treatment of headache pain: A mixed-methods analysis comparing treatment responders and treatment non-responders. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 22(2), 278–285.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Vibe, M., Bjørndal, A., Tipton, E., Hammerstrøm, K. T., & Kowalski, K. (2012). Mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) for improving health, quality of life and social functioning in adults. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 3, 1–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • E-Prime. (2002). Software for stimulus presentation. Psychology Software Tools, Inc.: Pittsburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erdmann, G., & Janke, W. (2008). Stressverarbeitungsfragebogen (SVF). Handbuch: Stress, Stressverarbeitung und ihre Erfassung durch ein mehrdimensionales Testsystem. [Stress coping questionnaire (SVF). Handbook: Stress, stress coping and its acquisition in a multidimensional test system.]. Göttingen: Hogrefe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerber, W.-D., & Kropp, P. (1993). Migräne als Reizverarbeitungsstörung? Empirische Untersuchungen zur Contingenten Negativen Variation bei Migränepatienten. [Migraine as stimulus processing disorder? Empirically investigations of the contingent negative variation in migraine patients].  Der Schmerz, 7(4), 280–286.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gerber, W.-D., Kropp, P., Schoenen, J., & Siniatchkin, M. S. (1996). “Born to be wild oder doch gelernt?” Neue verhaltensmedizinische Erkenntnisse zur Ätiopathogenese der Migräne. [“Born to be wild or still learned?” New medical behavioral findings about the etiopathogenesis of migraine]. Verhaltenstherapie, 6, 210–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Göbel, H. (2014). Erfolgreich gegen Kopfschmerzen und Migräne. Ursachen beseitigen, gezielt vorbeugen, Strategien zur Selbsthilfe. [Successful treatment of headache and migraine. Cause elimination, specific prevention, strategies for self-help.] (7th ed.). Berlin: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M., Gould, N. F., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., et al. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 174(3), 357–368.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hansenne, M., & Ansseau, M. (2001). Contingent negative variation and personality in depression. Neuropsychobiology, 44(1), 7–12.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huber, D., & Henrich, G. (2003). Personality traits and stress sensitivity in migraine patients. Behavioral Medicine, 29, 4–13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • International Headache Society (IHS). (2004). The international classification of headache disorders, 2nd edition (ICHD-II). Cephalalgia, 24(Suppl. 1), 1–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ising, M., Weyers, P., Janke, W., & Erdmann, G. (2001). The psychometric properties of the SVF78 by Janke and Erdmann, a short version of the SVF120. PsyJournals, 22, 279–289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (2006). Gesund durch Meditation: Das große Buch der Selbstheilung. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer. Original title: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness.

  • Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L., & Burney, R. (1985). The Clinical use of mindfulness meditation for the self-regulation of chronic pain. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 8(2), 163–190.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Khoury, B., Lecomte, T., Fortin, G., Masse, M., Therien, P., Bouchard, V., et al. (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(6), 763–771.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., Brecht, I. B., Niederberger, U., Kowalski, J., Schröder, D., Thome, J., et al. (2012). Time-dependent post-imperative negative variation indicates adaptation and problem solving in migraine patients. Journal of Neural Transmission, 119(10), 1213–1221.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., & Gerber, W.-D. (1993a). Contingent negative variation: Findings and perspectives in migraine. Cephalagia, 13(1), 33–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., & Gerber, W.-D. (1993b). Is increased amplitude of contingent negative variation in migraine due to cortical hyperactivity or reduced habituation? Cephalalgia, 13, 37–41.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., & Gerber, W.-D. (1995). Contingent negative variation during migraine attack and interval: Evidence for normalization of slow cortical potentials during the attack. Cephalalgia, 15, 123–128.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., & Gerber, W.-D. (2005). Slow cortical potential in migraine. Predictive value and possible novel therapeutic strategies to prevent an attack. Functional Neurology, 20(4), 193–197.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., Linstedt, U., & Gerber, W.-D. (2005). Migräne: Die Dauer der Erkrankung beeinflusst Amplitude und Habituation ereigniskorrelierter Potenziale. [Migraine: The duration of the disorder influences amplitude and habituation of event-related potentials]. Der Schmerz, 19, 489–496.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., Siniatchkin, M., & Gerber, W.-D. (2002). On the pathophysiology of migraine: Links for “empirically based treatment” with neurofeedback. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 27(3), 203–213.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., Siniatchkin, M., Stephani, U., & Gerber, W. D. (1999). Migraine: Evidence for a disturbance of cerebral maturation in man? Neuroscience Letters, 276, 181–184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kropp, P., Wallasch, T. M., Müller, B., Meyer, B., Darabaneanu, S., Bosse, C., et al. (2015). Disease duration of episodic migraine correlates with modified amplitudes and habituation of contingent negative variation. Journal of Neural Transmission, 122(6), 877–885.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lutz, A., Slagter, H. A., Dunne, J. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2008). Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Science, 12(4), 163–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maertens de Noordhout, A., Timsit-Berthier, M., Timsit, M., & Schoenen, M. (1986). Contingent negative variation in headache. Annals of Neurology, 19(1), 78–80.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Magis, D., Vigano, A., Sava, S., d’Elia, T. S., Schoenen, J., & Coppola, G. (2013). Pearls and pitfalls: Electrophysiology for primary headaches. Cephalalgia, 33(8), 526–539.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neut, D., Fily, A., Cuvellier, J.-C., & Vallée, L. (2012). The prevalence of triggers in paediatric migraine: A questionnaire study in 102 children and adolescents. The Journal of Headache and Pain, 13(1), 61–65.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Omland, P. M., Nilsen, K. B., Uglem, M., Gravdahl, G., Linde, M., Hagen, K., & Sand, T. (2013). Visual evoked potentials in interictal migraine: No confirmation of anbormal habituation. Headache, 53, 1071–1086.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ott, U., Walter, B., Gebhardt, H., Stark, R. & Vaitl, D. (2010). Inhibition of default mode network activity during mindfulness meditation. (Poster) In 16th annual meeting of the organization for human brain mapping. Barcelona, Spanien Juni 6–10, 2010.

  • Paty, J., Brenot, P., Tignol, J., & Bourgeois, M. (1978). Evoked cerebral activity (contingent negative variation and evoked potentials) and modified states of consciousness (sleeplike relaxation, transcendental meditation). Annales Medico-Psychologiques, 136, 143–169.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenzweig, S., Greeson, J. M., Reibel, D. K., Green, J. S., Jasser, S. A., & Beasley, D. (2010). Mindfulness-based stress reduction for chronic pain conditions: Variation in treatment outcomes and role of home meditation practice. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 68(1), 29–36.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sauro, K. M., & Becker, W. J. (2009). The stress and migraine interaction. Headache, 49(9), 1378–1386.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schoenen, J. (1990). Deficient habituation of evoked cortical potentials in migraine: A link between brain biology, behavior and trigeminovascular activation? Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 50(2), 71–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schoenen, J., Maertens de Noordhout, A., Timsit-Berthier, M., & Timsit, M. (1985). Contingent negative variation (CNV) as a diagnostic and physiopathologic tool in headache patients. In C. Rose (Ed.), Migraine (pp. 17–25). Basel: Karger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoenen, J., & Timsit-Berthier, M. (1993). Contingent negative variation: Methods and potential interest in headache. Cephalalgia, 13(1), 28–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, S. L., & Walsh, R. (2003). An analysis of recent meditation research and suggestions for future directions. Humanistic Psychologist, 31, 86–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siniatchkin, M., Gerber, W.-D., Kropp, P., & Vein, A. (1998). Contingent negative variation in patients with chronic daily headache. Cephalalgia, 18(8), 565–569.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siniatchkin, M., Hierundar, A., Kropp, P., Kuhnert, R., & Gerber, W.-D. (2000). Self-regulation of slow cortical potentials in children with migraine: An exploratory study. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 25(1), 13–32.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tonelli, M. E., & Wachholtz, A. B. (2014). Meditation-based treatment yielding immediate relief for meditation-naive migraineurs. Pain Management Nursing, 15(1), 36–40.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Travis, F., Tecce, J., Arenander, A., & Wallace, R. K. (2002). Patterns of EEG coherence, power, and contingent negative variation characterize the integration of transcendental and waking states. Biological Psychology, 61, 293–319.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trimmel, M., & Gmeier, G. (2001). Partnerschaftliches Interaktionsverhalten und Stressverarbeitung von Migränepatientinnen. [Partnership interaction behavior and stress coping in female migraine patients]. Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik und Medizinische Psychologie, 51, 430–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walter, W. G., Cooper, R., Aldridge, V. J., McCallum, W. C., & Winter, A. L. (1964). Contingent negative variation: An electric sign of sensorimotor association and expectancy in the human brain. Nature, 203, 380–384.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Barbara-Wengeler Foundation. We are grateful for Prof. Dr. Thomas Metzingers’ help.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Medical Faculty, University of Rostock, Gehlsheimer Straße 20, 18147, Rostock, Germany

    Armin Keller, Bianca Meyer, Hans-Georg Wöhlbier & Peter Kropp

  2. Center of Integrative Psychiatry, University Clinic of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany

    Claudia Helene Overath

Authors
  1. Armin Keller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Bianca Meyer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hans-Georg Wöhlbier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Claudia Helene Overath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Peter Kropp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Armin Keller.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Keller, A., Meyer, B., Wöhlbier, HG. et al. Migraine and Meditation: Characteristics of Cortical Activity and Stress Coping in Migraine Patients, Meditators and Healthy Controls—An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 41, 307–313 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-016-9334-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-016-9334-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation