2 papers in the library · publishing 2020-2025
bioRxiv Preprint Server November 13, 2020 Lara M.c. Puhlmann, Pascal Vrtička, Roman Linz et al. preprint
Regular contemplative mental training may reduce long-term stress as indicated by endocrine markers, though the abstract does not specify the direction or magnitude of the effect. The study aimed to investigate how such training influences stress-related hormone levels.
Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science March 1, 2025 Lara M.c. Puhlmann, Pascal Vrtička, Roman Linz et al.
A randomized clinical trial with 332 healthy adults tested whether mindfulness- and meditation-based mental training can increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that supports hippocampal neuroplasticity, and whether cortisol reduction mediates this effect. Participants were assigned to one of three training cohorts (attention-based mindfulness, socio-affective skills, or socio-cognitive skills) or a passive control group. Training cohorts completed up to three 3-month modules. Combined training groups showed significant cumulative increases in serum BDNF after 3, 6, and 9 months relative to baseline (estimated increases: 1353, 1557, and 2276 pg/mL, respectively).