Meditation Reduces Worker Stress

January 20, 2025 psyjdc Leave a comment

Study finds meditation with Headspace app reduces stress in pregnancy By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

In today’s Research News article “Digital Meditation to Target Employee Stress” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/articlepdf/2829186/radin_2025_oi_241525_1736185782.29032.pdf) Radin and colleagues performed a controlled clinical trial and found that 10 minutes of daily meditation significantly reduced stress levels in employees of a university health system.

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

Radin RM, Vacarro J, Fromer E, Ahmadi SE, Guan JY, Fisher SM, Pressman SD, Hunter JF, Sweeny K, Tomiyama AJ, Hofschneider LT, Zawadzki MJ, Gavrilova L, Epel ES, Prather AA. Digital Meditation to Target Employee Stress: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 Jan 2;8(1):e2454435. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.54435. PMID: 39808431; PMCID: PMC11733700.

Study Summary

This randomized clinical trial investigates whether a digital mindfulness meditation application reduces perceptions of global and job-related stress among adults employed at a large academic medical center.

Key Points

Question

Can digital mindfulness meditation improve general stress and work-related stress among employees at a large academic medical center?

Findings

In this randomized clinical trial of 1458 employees, those who received mindfulness meditation (vs waiting list control) had significant reductions in perceived stress at 8 weeks.

Meaning

The findings suggest that participating in a brief digital mindfulness-based program is an effective method for reducing general and work-related stress in employees.

Abstract

Importance

Mindfulness meditation may improve well-being among employees; however, effects of digital meditation programs are poorly understood.

Objective

To evaluate the effects of digital meditation vs a waiting list condition on general and work-specific stress and whether greater engagement in the intervention moderates these effects.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This randomized clinical trial included a volunteer sample of adults (aged ≥18 years) employed at a large academic medical center who reported mild to moderate stress, had regular access to a web-connected device, and were fluent in English. Exclusion criteria included being a regular meditator. Participants were recruited from May 16, 2018, through September 28, 2019, and completed baseline, 8-week, and 4-month measures assessing stress, job strain, burnout, work engagement, mindfulness, depression, and anxiety. Data were analyzed from March 2023 to October 2024.

Intervention

Participants were randomized 1:1 to a digital meditation program or the waiting list control condition. Participants in the intervention group were instructed to complete 10 minutes of meditation per day for 8 weeks. The control group was instructed to continue their normal activities and not add any meditation during the study period.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary outcome measure was change in Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score at 8 weeks. Secondary outcome measures included changes in job strain, measured as work effort-reward imbalance.

Results

A total of 1458 participants (mean [SD] age, 35.54 [10.30] years; 1178 [80.80%] female) were included. Those randomized to meditation (n = 728) vs waiting list (n = 730) showed improvements in PSS (Cohen d, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73-0.96) and in all secondary outcome measures (eg, job strain: Cohen d, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.23-0.46) at 8 weeks. These improvements were maintained at 4 months after randomization (PSS: Cohen d, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.59-0.84; job strain: Cohen d, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.25-0.50). Those using the app from 5 to 9.9 min/d vs less than 5 min/d showed greater reduction in stress (mean PSS score difference, −6.58; 95% CI, −7.44 to −5.73).

Conclusions and Relevance

The findings suggest that a brief, digital mindfulness-based program is an easily accessible and scalable method for reducing perceptions of stress. Future work should seek to clarify mechanisms by which such interventions contribute to improvements in work-specific well-being

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on the Contemplative Studies Blog http://contemplative-studies.org

Meditation is an Effective Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

January 16, 2025 psyjdc Leave a comment

Meditation is an Effective Therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

In today’s Research News article “Effectiveness of Meditation Techniques in Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” (See summary below) Orme-Johnson summarized the published controlled research on the effectiveness of various meditation techniques on Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They found that the published controlled research demonstrated significant reductions in PTSD symptoms regardless of the meditation technique in veterans, refugees, earthquake victims, prisoners, and civilians.

Hence, mindfulness meditation is an effective treatment for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on the Contemplative Studies Blog http://contemplative-studies.org

Study Summary

Orme-Johnson DW, Barnes VA, Rees B, Tobin J, Walton KG. Effectiveness of Meditation Techniques in Treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Dec 12;60(12):2050. doi: 10.3390/medicina60122050. PMID: 39768929; PMCID: PMC11678240.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11678240/pdf/medicina-60-02050.pdf

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition worldwide. The limited effectiveness of current psychological and pharmacological treatments has motivated studies on meditation techniques. This study is a comprehensive, multiple-treatments meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of different categories of meditation in treating PTSD. Methods and Materials: We followed Prisma guidelines in our published protocol to search major databases and to conduct a meta-analysis of the studies. Results: We located 61 studies with 3440 subjects and divided them logically into four treatment groups: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR, 13 studies); Mindfulness-Based Other techniques (MBO, 16 studies), Transcendental Meditation (TM, 18 studies), and Other Meditations that were neither mindfulness nor TM (OM, 14 studies). Trauma populations included war veterans, war refugees, earthquake and tsunami victims, female survivors of interpersonal violence, clinical nurses, male and female prison inmates, and traumatized students. Of those offered, 86% were willing to try meditation. The baseline characteristics of subjects were similar across meditation categories: mean age = 52.2 years, range 29–75; sample size = 55.4, range 5–249; % males = 65.1%, range 0–100; and maximum study duration = 13.2 weeks, range 1–48. There were no significant differences between treatment categories on strength of research design nor evidence of publication bias. The pooled mean effect sizes in Hedges’s g for the four categories were MBSR = −0.52, MBO = −0.66, OM = −0.63, and TM = −1.13. There were no appreciable differences in the study characteristics of research conducted on different meditations in terms of the types of study populations included, outcome measures, control conditions, gender, or length of time between the intervention and assessment of PTSD. TM’s effect was significantly larger than for each of the other categories, which did not differ from each other. No study reported serious side effects. Conclusions: All categories of meditation studied were helpful in mitigating symptoms of PTSD. TM produced clinically significant reductions in PTSD in all trauma groups. We recommend a multisite Phase 3 clinical trial to test TM’s efficacy compared with standard treatment.

January 3, 2025 psyjdc Leave a comment

May be an image of 1 person and sleepwear Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Pain.

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness Meditation and Placebo Modulate Distinct Multivariate Neural Signatures to Reduce Pain” (See summary below) Riegner and colleagues demonstrate that mindfulness meditation reduces both subjective pain and the brain responses to pain to a greater extent than a placebo.

Hence, mindfulness meditation is an effective treatment for pain.

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on the Contemplative Studies Blog http://contemplative-studies.org

Study Summary

Riegner G, Dean J, Wager TD, Zeidan F. Mindfulness Meditation and Placebo Modulate Distinct Multivariate Neural Signatures to Reduce Pain. Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Jan 1;97(1):81-88. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.08.023. Epub 2024 Aug 30. PMID: 39216636; PMCID: PMC11608143.

Abstract

Background: Rather than a passive reflection of nociception, pain is shaped by the interplay between one’s experiences, current cognitive-affective states, and expectations. The placebo response, a paradoxical yet reliable phenomenon, is postulated to reduce pain by engaging mechanisms shared with active therapies. It has been assumed that mindfulness meditation, practiced by sustaining nonjudgmental awareness of arising sensory events, merely reflects mechanisms evoked by placebo. Recently, brain-based multivariate pattern analysis has been validated to successfully disentangle nociceptive-specific, negative affective, and placebo-based dimensions of the subjective pain experience.

Methods: To determine whether mindfulness meditation engages distinct brain mechanisms from placebo and sham mindfulness to reduce pain, multivariate pattern analysis pain signatures were applied across 2 randomized clinical trials that employed overlapping psychophysical pain testing procedures (49 °C noxious heat; visual analog pain scales) and distinct functional magnetic resonance imaging techniques (blood oxygen level-dependent; perfusion based). After baseline pain testing, 115 healthy participants were randomized into a 4-session mindfulness meditation (n = 37), placebo-cream conditioning (n = 19), sham mindfulness meditation (n = 20), or book-listening control (n = 39) intervention. After each intervention, noxious heat was administered during functional magnetic resonance imaging and each manipulation.

Results: A double dissociation in the multivariate pattern analysis signatures supporting pain regulation was revealed by mindfulness meditation compared with placebo cream. Mindfulness meditation produced significantly greater reductions in pain intensity and pain unpleasantness ratings and nociceptive-specific and negative affective pain signatures than placebo cream, sham mindfulness meditation, and control interventions. The placebo-cream group significantly lowered the placebo-based signature.

Conclusions: Mindfulness meditation and placebo engaged distinct and granular neural pain signatures to reduce pain.

Meditation Practice is Perfect

August 20, 2024 psyjdc Leave a comment

Today's Meditation: Stay in Your Own Lane - Bare Bones Yoga

Meditation Practice is Perfect

John M. de Castro

“Sometimes we get the idea that there’s a best practice, a right practice, a most powerful practice. But different practices and different qualities or nuances of practice might be most appropriate for us at different times as our practice, understanding, and recognition of what’s helpful, needed, or skillful evolves.” – Martin Aylward

The human mind is always judgmental and critical. This has been a very good thing for our adaptation to the environment. It causes us to constantly analyze our experience and the results of our activities producing adjustments that improve the outcomes. This process is one of the key reasons why humans have learned to control and dominate our environment. But when applied to meditation practice it is counterproductive.

Being judgmental and critical regarding meditation practice is contrary to the nature of practice. The core practice of meditation involves seeing and accepting everything just as it is in the present moment. There is no need to analyze it. There is no need to criticize it. Indeed, there is no need to change it in any way. This includes the practice itself. It just is as it is. It just needs to be experienced and accepted. There is no such thing as good practice or bad practice. There is only practice as it is. There is no need to change it or try to improve it.

In meditation, if the mind wanders, there is no need to feel bad. It is just what experience is in that moment. There is no need to try to make the mind wander less. Just observe that the mind is wandering letting go of all judgment. If the mind is focused and calm, there is no need to feel good about it. There is no need to try to keep it up or stay focused. Just observe that the mind is focused and let go of all judgment.

In meditation no matter what transpires, the experience arises in awareness. Simply being aware of it is all that is needed. In fact, awareness in the present moment is all there is. There is nothing more to existence. In meditation, we amplify that experience of awareness allowing the mind to better see and accept it. But what the mind does and doesn’t do is irrelevant. Awareness simply is, regardless of the mind’s appreciation of it. So, there is no need to do things to make the mind better see it. That makes no difference. Awareness simply is. In fact, the mind’s activity is simply a part of what we’re aware of.

Awareness and the objects of awareness are not separate processes. Without objects of awareness there is no awareness. Conversely, without awareness there are no objects of awareness. They are one and the same thing. During meditation there is seeing, there is hearing, there is feeling, there are many sensory experiences. They do not just occur in awareness they are awareness itself. It is all one. Meditation is simply observing the co-arising of awareness and experience.

I often repeat during meditation “just be.” This is a reminder to not try to do or be anything, to not judge what is going on, to not criticize or analyze it, and to not try to alter it. Just be. In fact, the implicit speech of “just be” is also simply an object in awareness. It is not something to be acted upon. It is a means to keep the mind from interfering with experience.

So, relax and enjoy meditation, regardless of its nature. Just be.

Long-Term Meditation Changes Large-Scale Brain Connectivity

July 7, 2023 psyjdc Leave a comment

Long-Term Meditation Changes Large-Scale Brain Connectivity

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

There has accumulated a large amount of research demonstrating that meditation practice has significant benefits for psychological, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. One way that meditation practices may produce these benefits is by altering the brain. The nervous system is a dynamic entity, constantly changing and adapting to the environment. It will change size, activity, and connectivity in response to experience. These changes in the brain are called neuroplasticity. Over the last decade neuroscience has been studying the effects of contemplative practices on the brain and has identified neuroplastic changes in widespread areas. In other words, meditation practice appears to mold and change the brain structures and connectivity, producing psychological, physical, and spiritual benefits, especially mindfulness.

Two in particular types of meditation can be characterized on a continuum with the degree and type of attentional focus. In focused attention meditation, the individual practices paying attention to a single meditation object, learns to filter out distracting stimuli, including thoughts, and learns to stay focused on the present moment, filtering out thoughts centered around the past or future. In open monitoring meditation, the individual opens up awareness to everything that’s being experienced regardless of its origin. These include bodily sensations, external stimuli, and even thoughts. The meditator just observes these thoughts and lets them arise and fall away without paying them any further attention. These differences are likely to produce different effects on the practitioners, their psychology and their brains.

In today’s Research News article “Long-Term and Meditation-Specific Modulations of Brain Connectivity Revealed Through Multivariate Pattern Analysis.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10164028/ ) Guidotti and colleagues recruited established long-term meditators (Buddhist Monks) and novice meditators. The novices practiced both focused and open monitoring meditation for 30 minutes per day for 10 days. Both groups then practiced both focused and open monitoring meditation while having their brains scanned with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).

The found that large-scale functional interactions in the brain could better predict both focused and open monitoring meditation styles in practiced meditators as opposed to novices. Open Monitoring meditation enhanced connectivity between regions that process somatosensory, auditory, and visual information. On the other hand, Focused Meditation enhanced connectivity between regions that are involved in attentional control and self-awareness.

These findings suggest that long-term meditation changes the brain to process different information in large-scale networks for focused versus open monitoring meditations, but not so much in novice meditators. Hence, long-term meditation practice changes the brain to facilitate brain processing of meditation type specific functions.

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

Study Summary

Guidotti R, D’Andrea A, Basti A, Raffone A, Pizzella V, Marzetti L. Long-Term and Meditation-Specific Modulations of Brain Connectivity Revealed Through Multivariate Pattern Analysis. Brain Topogr. 2023 May;36(3):409-418. doi: 10.1007/s10548-023-00950-3. Epub 2023 Mar 28. PMID: 36977909; PMCID: PMC10164028.

Abstract

Neuroimaging studies have provided evidence that extensive meditation practice modifies the functional and structural properties of the human brain, such as large-scale brain region interplay. However, it remains unclear how different meditation styles are involved in the modulation of these large-scale brain networks. Here, using machine learning and fMRI functional connectivity, we investigated how focused attention and open monitoring meditation styles impact large-scale brain networks. Specifically, we trained a classifier to predict the meditation style in two groups of subjects: expert Theravada Buddhist monks and novice meditators. We showed that the classifier was able to discriminate the meditation style only in the expert group. Additionally, by inspecting the trained classifier, we observed that the Anterior Salience and the Default Mode networks were relevant for the classification, in line with their theorized involvement in emotion and self-related regulation in meditation. Interestingly, results also highlighted the role of specific couplings between areas crucial for regulating attention and self-awareness as well as areas related to processing and integrating somatosensory information. Finally, we observed a larger involvement of left inter-hemispheric connections in the classification. In conclusion, our work supports the evidence that extensive meditation practice modulates large-scale brain networks, and that the different meditation styles differentially affect connections that subserve style-specific functions.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10164028/

Improve Long-Covid Symptoms with Mindfulness

February 23, 2023 psyjdc Leave a comment

Improve Long-Covid Symptoms with Mindfulness

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Everything is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality.” ~Robin S. Sharma

Mindfulness training has been shown to improve health and well-being in healthy individuals. They have also been found to be effective for a large array of medical and psychiatric conditions, either stand-alone or in combination with more traditional therapies. The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the mental and physical health of the population. It has created intense stress both for frontline workers but also for people simply isolating at home. Mindfulness is known to decrease the psychological and physical responses to stress Long COVID-19 symptoms have emerged as a major problem. The evidence that mindfulness practices are effective in treating these long covid symptoms has been accumulating. So, it makes sense to summarize what has been learned.

In today’s Research News article “Mindfulness Meditation Interventions for Long COVID: Biobehavioral Gene Expression and Neuroimmune Functioning.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9653042/ ) Porter and Jason review and summarize the published research on the effectiveness of mindfulness practices for the treatment of long covid symptoms of Covid-19.

They report that the published studies found that mindfulness practices reduce fatigue, anxiety, and depression, and improve physical and mental functioning in long covid. They further postulate that these improvements may be mediated by the effect of mindfulness practices on the immunological and inflammatory systems. These include altering pro-inflammatory and immune function gene expressions.

So, the published studies suggest that mindfulness practices improve the mental and physical symptoms of long covid.

“Remember the blue sky. It may at times be obscured by clouds, but it is always there.” — Andy Puddicombe

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

Study Summary

Porter N, Jason LA. Mindfulness Meditation Interventions for Long COVID: Biobehavioral Gene Expression and Neuroimmune Functioning. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2022 Nov 8;18:2599-2626. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S379653. PMID: 36387947; PMCID: PMC9653042.

Abstract

Some individuals infected with SARS CoV-2 have developed Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC) or what has been referred to as Long COVID. Efforts are underway to find effective treatment strategies for those with Long COVID. One possible approach involves alternative medical interventions, which have been widely used to treat and manage symptoms of a variety of medical problems including post-viral infections. Meditation has been found to reduce fatigue and unrefreshing sleep, and for those with post-viral infections, it has enhanced immunity, and reduced inflammatory-driven pathogenesis. Our article summarizes the literature on what is known about mindfulness meditation interventions, and reviews evidence on how it may apply to those with Long COVID and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). Evidence is reviewed suggesting effective and sustainable outcomes may be achieved for symptomatology and underlying pathology of post-viral fatigue (PASC and ME/CFS).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9653042/

Focused and Self-Compassion Meditation Have Different Effects on Attention, Well-Being and Classroom Performance

February 9, 2023 psyjdc Leave a comment

Focused and Self-Compassion Meditation Have Different Effects on Attention, Well-Being and Classroom Performance

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“There is no good or bad meditation — there is simply awareness or non-awareness. To begin with, we get distracted a lot. Over time, we get distracted less. Be gentle with your approach, be patient with the mind, and be kind to yourself along the way.” -Andy Puddicombe

Meditation training has been shown to improve attention, health and well-being. One problem with understanding meditation effects is that there are, a wide variety of meditation techniques and it is not known which work best for affecting different psychological areas. Classically they’ve been characterized on a continuum with the degree and type of attentional focus. In focused attention meditation, the individual practices paying attention to a single meditation object. In open monitoring meditation, the individual opens up awareness to everything that’s being experienced including thoughts regardless of its origin. In Self-Compassion meditation the individual wishes the self happiness, well-being, safety, peace, and ease of well-being.

In today’s Research News article “The effects of short interventions of focused-attention vs. self-compassion mindfulness meditation on undergraduate students: Evidence from self-report, classroom performance, and ERPs.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9858058/ ) O’Hare and colleagues recruited undergraduate students and had different classes practice focused meditation or Self-Compassion meditation for 10 minutes per week for 10 weeks. Before and after the training the students were measured for course performance, anxiety, worry, mood, positive and negative emotions, stress, self-compassion, and empathy. They were also measured for electroencephalogram (EEG) during performance of a cognitive/attentional task.

They found that both meditation types produced significant reductions in worry while the focused meditation group had less interference effects during the attentional task and self-compassion meditation produced significant reductions in anxiety, perceived stress, and depression, significant increases in positive emotions and course performance, and less reaction in the EEG to negative emotional words.

Hence, focused meditation appears to produce better attentional control while self-compassion meditation produced improved psychological well-being and academic performance. Hence, different meditation techniques produce different benefits for college students.

“To know one’s own mind is nothing short of life-changing. –@Headspace

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

Study Summary

O’Hare AJ, Gemelli ZT. The effects of short interventions of focused-attention vs. self-compassion mindfulness meditation on undergraduate students: Evidence from self-report, classroom performance, and ERPs. PLoS One. 2023 Jan 20;18(1):e0278826. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278826. PMID: 36662726; PMCID: PMC9858058.

Abstract

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training has been shown to improve cognitive processing, wellbeing, and academic performance. However, mindfulness interventions that are integrated into non-mindfulness related courses have not been well-investigated. Further, the unique effects of different aspects of MBSR training are not as well understood. This paper examines the effects that are uniquely associated with focused-attention versus self-compassion mindfulness practices utilizing a multi-method approach. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded during an Emotional Flanker task, and self-report measures of wellbeing and measures of classroom performance were collected before and after training. Participants were students in two sections of the same undergraduate course and either completed 10 weeks of focused-attention practice or self-compassion practice that was built into their class sessions. Students in the focused-attention group (mean age = 22.08) had reduced interference effects on their reaction times following the training. Students in the self-compassion group (mean age = 23.91) showed altered processing of conflict on negative trials via the N2 and P3 ERP amplitudes after the training. This group also reported significant improvements in wellbeing and performed significantly better on more class tests compared to the focused-attention group. These data support the effectiveness of incorporating brief, simplified mindfulness practices in any classroom as an intervention to improve attention, wellbeing and classroom performance.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9858058/

Improve Immune function with a Meditation Retreat

September 1, 2022 psyjdc Leave a comment

Improve Immune function with a Meditation Retreat

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“meditative practice enhanced immune function without activating inflammatory signals. This suggests that meditation, as a behavioral intervention, may be an effective component in treating diseases characterized by increased inflammatory responsiveness with a weakened immune system.” – Vijayendran Chandran

The immune system is designed to protect the body from threats like stress, infection, injury, and toxic chemicals. One of its tools is the Inflammatory response. This response works quite well for short-term infections and injuries. But when inflammation is protracted and becomes chronic, it can itself become a threat to health. It can produce autoimmune diseases such as colitis, Chron’s disease, arthritis, heart disease, increased cancer risk, lung disease, sleep disruption, gum disease, decreased bone health, psoriasis, and depression.

When the immune system attacks the liver, it produces autoimmune hepatitis which damages the liver. It is rare but affects women four times more often than men. Mind-body techniques such as yoga, Tai Chi and meditation have been shown to adaptively reduce the inflammatory response. So, it would seem reasonable that mindfulness training may be effective in treating autoimmune hepatitis.

In today’s Research News article “). Large-scale genomic study reveals robust activation of the immune system following advanced Inner Engineering meditation retreat.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8713789/ ) Chandran and colleagues recruited healthy participants in an 8-day meditation, yoga, and vegan diet retreat. Blood was drawn for genomic analysis 5 weeks before, immediately before and after the retreat and 3 months later.

They found that there was lessened activity in genes associated with oxidative stress, detoxification, and cell cycle regulation and increased activity in genes associated with the immune response but no change in genes associated with inflammation. Hence, participation in the meditation, yoga, and vegan diet retreat produced genetic expressions representative of improved immune response without inflammation.

So, improve immune function with a meditation retreat.

“multiple genes related to the immune system were activated — dramatically — when you do Inner Engineering practices,” – Vijayendran Chandran

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

Study Summary

Chandran, V., Bermúdez, M. L., Koka, M., Chandran, B., Pawale, D., Vishnubhotla, R., Alankar, S., Maturi, R., Subramaniam, B., & Sadhasivam, S. (2021). Large-scale genomic study reveals robust activation of the immune system following advanced Inner Engineering meditation retreat. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118(51), e2110455118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2110455118

SIGNIFICANCE

Several studies on the impact of yoga and meditation on mental and physical health have demonstrated beneficial effects. However, the potential molecular mechanisms and critical genes involved in this beneficial outcome have yet to be comprehensively elucidated. This study identified and characterized the transcriptional program associated with advanced meditation practice, and we bioinformatically integrated various networks to identify meditation-specific core network. This core network links several immune signaling pathways, and we showed that this core transcriptional profile is dysfunctional in multiple sclerosis and severe COVID-19 infection. Very importantly, we demonstrated that the meditative practice enhanced immune function without activating inflammatory signals. Together, these results make meditation an effective behavioral intervention for treating various conditions associated with a weakened immune system.

Keywords: meditation, immune, Isha yoga, Inner Engineering, COVID-19

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ABSTRACT

The positive impact of meditation on human well-being is well documented, yet its molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. We applied a comprehensive systems biology approach starting with whole-blood gene expression profiling combined with multilevel bioinformatic analyses to characterize the coexpression, transcriptional, and protein–protein interaction networks to identify a meditation-specific core network after an advanced 8-d Inner Engineering retreat program. We found the response to oxidative stress, detoxification, and cell cycle regulation pathways were down-regulated after meditation. Strikingly, 220 genes directly associated with immune response, including 68 genes related to interferon signaling, were up-regulated, with no significant expression changes in the inflammatory genes. This robust meditation-specific immune response network is significantly dysregulated in multiple sclerosis and severe COVID-19 patients. The work provides a foundation for understanding the effect of meditation and suggests that meditation as a behavioral intervention can voluntarily and nonpharmacologically improve the immune response for treating various conditions associated with excessive or persistent inflammation with a dampened immune system profile.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8713789/

Meditation Changes the Structures and Connectivity in the Brain

August 23, 2022 psyjdc Leave a comment

Meditation Changes the Structures and Connectivity in the Brain

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“[Meditation] practice appears to have an amazing variety of neurological benefits – from changes in grey matter volume to reduced activity in the “me” centers of the brain to enhanced connectivity between brain regions.” – Alice G. Walton

In today’s Research News article “Meditation-induced effects on whole-brain structural and effective connectivity.” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9232427/ ) De Filippi and colleagues recruited experienced meditators (> 1000 hours of experience) and control non-meditators and scanned their brains with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) while at rest and while meditating.

They found that there were significant differences in whole brain activity between meditation and at rest and that these differences differed between experienced meditators and controls. They also found that experienced meditators had increased connectivity between the left hemisphere sub networks including the somatomotor, dorsal attention, subcortical, and visual networks. Hence, they found neuroplastic changes in the brain produced by meditation practice.

“Now, as the popularity of mindfulness grows, brain imaging techniques are revealing that this ancient practice can profoundly change the way different regions of the brain communicate with each other – and therefore how we think – permanently.” – Tom Ireland

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

Study Summary

De Filippi, E., Escrichs, A., Càmara, E., Garrido, C., Marins, T., Sánchez-Fibla, M., Gilson, M., & Deco, G. (2022). Meditation-induced effects on whole-brain structural and effective connectivity. Brain structure & function, 227(6), 2087–2102. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-022-02496-9

Abstract

In the past decades, there has been a growing scientific interest in characterizing neural correlates of meditation training. Nonetheless, the mechanisms underlying meditation remain elusive. In the present work, we investigated meditation-related changes in functional dynamics and structural connectivity (SC). For this purpose, we scanned experienced meditators and control (naive) subjects using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to acquire structural and functional data during two conditions, resting-state and meditation (focused attention on breathing). In this way, we aimed to characterize and distinguish both short-term and long-term modifications in the brain’s structure and function. First, to analyze the fMRI data, we calculated whole-brain effective connectivity (EC) estimates, relying on a dynamical network model to replicate BOLD signals’ spatio-temporal structure, akin to functional connectivity (FC) with lagged correlations. We compared the estimated EC, FC, and SC links as features to train classifiers to predict behavioral conditions and group identity. Then, we performed a network-based analysis of anatomical connectivity. We demonstrated through a machine-learning approach that EC features were more informative than FC and SC solely. We showed that the most informative EC links that discriminated between meditators and controls involved several large-scale networks mainly within the left hemisphere. Moreover, we found that differences in the functional domain were reflected to a smaller extent in changes at the anatomical level as well. The network-based analysis of anatomical pathways revealed strengthened connectivity for meditators compared to controls between four areas in the left hemisphere belonging to the somatomotor, dorsal attention, subcortical and visual networks. Overall, the results of our whole-brain model-based approach revealed a mechanism underlying meditation by providing causal relationships at the structure-function level.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9232427/

Priming Improves the Effectiveness of Mindfulness to Reduce Stress and Improve Attention

August 18, 2022 psyjdc Leave a comment

Priming Improves the Effectiveness of Mindfulness to Reduce Stress and Improve Attention

By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.

“Mindfulness is the awareness that arises from paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

One of the primary effects of mindfulness training is an improvement in the ability to pay attention to the task at hand and ignore interfering stimuli. This is an important consequence of mindfulness training and produces improvements in thinking, reasoning, and creativity. The importance of heightened attentional ability to the individual’s ability to navigate the demands of complex modern life cannot be overstated. It helps in school, at work, in relationships, or simply driving a car. Priming occurs when information about a stimulus is presented beforehand. It is not known if priming regarding mindfulness will enhance its effectiveness.

In today’s Research News article “The Effect of a Brief Mindfulness Practice on Perceived Stress and Sustained Attention: Does Priming Matter?” (See summary below or view the full text of the study at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9167905/) Ueberholz and Fiocco

Recruited undergraduate students for an online experiment. They were randomly assigned to either prime pus 10-minute meditation, 10-minute meditation only, or prime only conditions. The prime consisted of a mindfulness infographic including information on mindfulness, brain changes with mindfulness, and behavioral changes with mindfulness. The 10-minute audio guided meditation consisted in breath following and body scan meditations. They were measured before and after training for mindfulness, perceived stress, and sustained attention with a go/no go task.

They found that after training both the primed and no-prime meditation groups had significantly lower levels of perceived stress and fewer omission errors than the prime only group. On the other hand only the primed group had improved sustained attention as measured by commission errors and correct responses.

The results suggest that as seen in many studies meditation practice reduces perceived stress and improves attention. The results also suggest that priming with mindfulness information prior to meditation increases the impact of meditation on sustained attention.

So, potentiate the effects of meditation with priming.

“Research indicates mindfulness and meditation can help us allocate cognitive resources more efficiently. Sustained attention in particular appears to be enhanced in those who practice.” – William Stafford

CMCS – Center for Mindfulness and Contemplative Studies

This and other Contemplative Studies posts are also available on Twitter @MindfulResearch

Study Summary

Ueberholz, R. Y., & Fiocco, A. J. (2022). The Effect of a Brief Mindfulness Practice on Perceived Stress and Sustained Attention: Does Priming Matter?. Mindfulness, 1–12. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-022-01913-8

Abstract

Objectives

The objective of the current study was to investigate the effect of a brief mindfulness practice on perceived stress and sustained attention, and to determine whether priming the benefits of mindfulness meditation enhances this effect.

Methods

Two hundred and twenty undergraduate students were randomly assigned to a control condition (CC), a meditation condition (MC), or a priming + meditation condition (PMC). Baseline and post-treatment measures included subjective stress ratings on a visual analog scale (VAS) and performance on a Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART), determined by reaction time coefficient of variability (RTCV) and three measures of accuracy: correct responses, errors of commission, and errors of omission.

Results

Repeated measures analyses revealed that both the MC and the PMC displayed a decline in perceived stress relative to the CC. Analyses further revelated that the MC and PMC displayed fewer errors of omission relative to the CC. However, only the PMC displayed better performance relative to the CC with respect to total correct response and errors of commission. There were no significant between-group differences for RTCV.

Conclusions

These findings are novel and provide a foundation to further investigate the effect of priming on mindfulness engagement and its potential benefits.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9167905/