Investigating Biological Targets, Markers, and Intervention for Chronic Pain

Inclusion Criteria for Chronic Pain Patients: * Age range: 18-60 years * Must indicate pain intensity of 3/10 and must have experienced pain for at least 3 months * Must possess English language skills sufficient for providing informed consent, completing questionnaires, and understanding instructions * Must have a stable medication regimen or no medication or dosage changes within the past month Blood Collection Inclusion: * At least 110 pounds * Generally healthy by self-report on day of collection (i.e., free of cold and flu symptoms on the day of collection, no infections within two weeks prior to collection, no known sickle cell disease) * Including the study draw, blood donation for clinical or research purposes within the preceding eight weeks will not exceed 550 mL * No more than one blood draw will have occurred during the preceding week Exclusion Criteria for Chronic Pain Patients: * Prior diagnosis of bipolar I, bipolar II, psychotic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and/or narcissistic personality disorder * Current history (equal/less than 6 months) of substance abuse/dependence * Current history (equal/less than 6 months) of regular meditation practice (\>1 session/week; \>10 min/session) * Diagnosis of bipolar I, bipolar II, psychotic personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, and/or narcissistic personality disorder * History of medical illness associated with possible changes in cerebral tissue or cerebrovasculature (e.g., stroke) or with neurologic abnormality (e.g., seizure disorder, cerebrovascular or neoplastic lesion, neurodegenerative disorder, or significant head trauma, defined by loss of consciousness of ≥ 5 minutes) * Current suicidal ideation Exclusion Criteria for Healthy Controls: * Current history (equal/less than 6 months) of substance abuse/dependence * No major medical illness. History of medical illness associated with possible changes in cerebral tissue or cerebrovasculature (e.g., stroke) or with neurologic abnormality (e.g., seizure disorder, cerebrovascular or neoplastic lesion, neurodegenerative disorder, or significant head trauma, defined by loss of consciousness of ≥ 5 minutes) * Current suicidal ideation * Current history (equal/less than 6 months) of regular meditation practice (\>1 session/week; \>10 min/session)