These brain scans show different neural signatures associated with pain response: the NAPS (left) is associated with the emotional experience of pain, the SIIPS-1 (center) is related to our expectations of pain and other psychosocial factors, and the NPS (right) is associated with pain intensity. Researchers at UC San Diego found that mindfulness meditation can modulate the NAPS and NPS, but not the SIIPS-1, showing that different parts of the brain are engaged in mindfulness-based pain relief compared to placebo.