#Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular #phenotypes

http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v6/n8/full/tp2016164a.html

Regular meditators showed a trend toward increased telomerase activity compared with randomized women, who showed increased plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 ratios and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels. This highly controlled residential study showed large salutary changes in gene expression networks due to the vacation effect, common to all groups. For those already trained in the practice of meditation, a retreat appears to provide additional benefits to cellular health beyond the vacation effect.

Effects of #oxytocin administration on spirituality and emotional responses to #meditation

http://m.scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2016/06/22/scan.nsw078.abstract?sid=6626d33f-cbc1-482e-988f-776ed0d9749b

These results provide the first experimental evidence that spirituality, endorsed by millions worldwide, appears to be supported by OT.

Reduced #Trauma Symptoms and Perceived Stress in Male Prison Inmates through the Transcendental #Meditation Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial

http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/issues/2016/fall/6227-reduced-trauma-symptoms-and-perceived-stress-in-male-prison-inmates-through-the-transcendental-meditation-program-a-randomized-controlled-trial.html

These findings extend prior research on TM and trauma symptoms. A recent review of posttraumatic stress disorder research indicates a need for novel, evidence-based treatments to supplement first-line therapies.24 The current study findings, along with those of prior research on TM and posttraumatic stress,11,12 suggest that the TM program holds promise for the treatment of trauma and stress-related disorders.

A Breathing-Based #Meditation Intervention for Patients With Major #Depressive Disorder Following Inadequate Response to Antidepressants: A Randomized Pilot Study

http://www.psychiatrist.com/JCP/article/Pages/2016/aheadofprint/16m10819.aspx

Conclusions: Results of this randomized, waitlist-controlled pilot study suggest the feasibility and promise of an adjunctive SKY-based intervention for patients with MDD who have not responded to antidepressants.

#Women Benefit More Than Men in Response to College-based #Meditation Training http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00551/full

Compared to men, women showed greater decreases in negative affect and greater increases on scales measuring mindfulness and self-compassion. Women’s improvements in negative affect were correlated to improvements in measures of both mindfulness skills and self-compassion. In contrast, men showed non-significant increases in negative affect, and changes in affect were only correlated with ability to describe emotions, not any measures of experiential or self-acceptance.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that women may have more favorable responses than men to school-based mindfulness training, and that the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions may be maximized by gender-specific modifications.

#Meditation and #Cardiovascular Risk Reduction
A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

http://jaha.ahajournals.org/content/6/10/e002218

Despite numerous advances in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Novel and inexpensive interventions that can contribute to the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease are of interest. Numerous studies have reported on the benefits of meditation.

Meditation instruction and practice is widely accessible and inexpensive and may thus be a potential attractive cost‐effective adjunct to more traditional medical therapies. Accordingly, this American Heart Association scientific statement systematically reviewed the data on the potential benefits of meditation on cardiovascular risk. Neurophysiological and neuroanatomical studies demonstrate that meditation can have long‐standing effects on the brain, which provide some biological plausibility for beneficial consequences on the physiological basal state and on cardiovascular risk. Studies of the effects of meditation on cardiovascular risk have included those investigating physiological response to stress, smoking cessation, blood pressure reduction, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, endothelial function, inducible myocardial ischemia, and primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Overall, studies of meditation suggest a possible benefit on cardiovascular risk, although the overall quality and, in some cases, quantity of study data are modest. Given the low costs and low risks of this intervention, meditation may be considered as an adjunct to guideline‐directed cardiovascular risk reduction by those interested in this lifestyle modification, with the understanding that the benefits of such intervention remain to be better established. Further research on meditation and cardiovascular risk is warranted. Such studies, to the degree possible, should utilize randomized study design, be adequately powered to meet the primary study outcome, strive to achieve low drop‐out rates, include long‐term follow‐up, and be performed by those without inherent bias in outcome.

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#Cognitive Aging and Long-Term Maintenance of Attentional Improvements Following #Meditation Training


https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41465-018-0068-1


we examined attentional performance on a sustained response inhibition task before, during, and after 3-months of full-time meditation. We now extend this prior investigation across additional follow-up assessments occurring up to 7 years after the conclusion of training. Performance improvements observed during periods of intensive practice were partially maintained several years later. Importantly, aging-related decrements in measures of response inhibition accuracy and reaction time variability were moderated by levels of continued meditation practice across the follow-up period. The present study is the first to offer evidence that intensive and continued meditation practice is associated with enduring improvements in sustained attention and response inhibition, with the potential to alter longitudinal trajectories of cognitive change across the lifespan.

A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Transcendental #Meditation as Treatment for #Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans
https://2medical.news/2021/03/27/a-pilot-randomized-controlled-trial-of-transcendental-meditation-as-treatment-for-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-in-veterans/

Preliminary studies have demonstrated the efficacy of Transcendental Meditation (TM) for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study extended previous research with a pilot trial of TM as a treatment for PTSD via a single‐blinded, randomized controlled design. veterans with PTSD (N = 40) were assigned to a TM intervention or treatment‐as‐usual (TAU) control group. Participants in the TM group engaged in 16 sessions …