Focusing on bodily sensations can reduce acute inflammation

Thirty‑seven healthy volunteers participated in three pre‑registered experiments. Participants were induced to develop a small, controlled inflammatory response in a specific area of the skin on their arm, and then they were given different instructions: some were asked to focus on the sensations in the inflamed area, while others were instructed to direct their attention to something outside this region. Over the course of 20 minutes, the dynamics of the inflammatory response were recorded, along with physiological indicators — heart rate variability, skin temperature, and parameters of autonomic activity.

The results were pronounced and consistent: in approximately 90 % of participants, the inflammatory response was reduced if they focused on the sensations in the affected area. On average, the intensity of the reaction when attention was focused on the inflamed area was about 1.5 times lower compared to the situation when attention was diverted. Moreover, the differences became noticeable within a few minutes, and recovery to the baseline level occurred more quickly.

Two complementary mechanisms underlying this effect were identified. The first is related to sensory signals coming directly from the inflamed tissue. The second mechanism is a top‑down one: attention continued to influence inflammation even in cases where the sensitivity of the area was reduced using a local anesthetic, i.e., when the flow of sensory signals was weakened. Thus, the influence of attention on the inflammatory response is exerted simultaneously through direct sensory connection and through control processes originating in the brain.

According to Dr. Rozenkrantz, it is particularly noteworthy that directing attention to the inflamed area changed not only the participants’ subjective sensations but also the physiological response itself. This suggests that our perception of what is happening in the body is not a passive process but can actively participate in the regulation of physiological reactions.

It is important to take into account the limitations of the study, as the experiments were conducted on healthy volunteers with a controlled model of acute skin inflammation. It is not yet known whether similar mechanisms will operate in chronic inflammatory conditions, autoimmune diseases, wound healing processes, and other pathologies. The team’s future plans include identifying the precise neuroimmune pathways underlying this effect and verifying whether similar patterns emerge in other physiological systems.