Neural and molecular changes during a mind-body reconceptualization, meditation, and open label placebo healing intervention
Alex Jinich-Diamant, Sierra Simpson, Juan Pablo Zuniga-Hertz, Ramamurthy Chitteti, Jan M. Schilling, Jacqueline A. Bonds, Laura K. Case, Andrei V. Chernov, Joe Dispenza, Jacqueline Maree, Natalia Esther Amkie Stahl, Michael Licamele, Narin Fazlalipour, Swetha Devulapalli, Leonardo Christov-Moore, Nicco Reggente, Michelle A. Poirier, Tobias Moeller-Bertram, Hemal H Patel
Communications Biology November 6, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-09088-3 (opens in new tab)
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Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational study Open-label Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Healthy human participants randomly selected from 561 retreat participants |
| Interventions | meditation reconceptualization open-label placebo healing rituals |
| Duration | 7-day intervention |
| Topics | Default mode network Meditation Neuroplasticity |
| Keywords | Neurite Neuroprotection Placebo Psychological intervention Downregulation and upregulation Exosome Intervention counseling Bioinformatics Pharmacology Biological neural network Salience neuroscience Glycolysis |
| Citations | 4 |
| Post-publication review | 3 comments on PubPeer (opens in new tab) · last active November 2025 |
| Key findings | A 7-day mind-body retreat intervention combining meditation, reconceptualization, and open-label placebo healing rituals produced broad short-term neural and plasma-based molecular changes associated with enhanced neuroplasticity, metabolic reprogramming, and modulation of functional cell signaling pathways. |
Abstract
Abstract Mind-body interventions offer promising avenues for improving physical and mental health, yet the comprehensive biological effects of increasingly popular mind-body retreat interventions remain poorly understood. The neural and molecular effects of a 7-day retreat intervention combining meditation, reconceptualization, and open-label placebo healing rituals are investigated in an observational study on 20 healthy human participants randomly selected from 561 retreat participants. BOLD fMRI functional connectivity during rest and meditation and whole plasma proteomics, metabolomics, exosome-specific miRNA transcriptomics, and neurite growth and real-time metabolism cellular assays are compared pre- and post-intervention. Meditation decreases functional integration in the default mode ( p = 0.00009) and salience networks ( p = 0.000003) and decreases whole-brain modularity ( p = 0.001). Compared to pre-intervention plasma, post plasma increases in vitro neurite outgrowth ( p = 0.01), enhances glycolytic metabolism ( p = 0.008), induces upregulation of BDNF ( p = 0.001), inflammatory ( p = 0.0001), anti-inflammatory ( p = 0.03), and endogenous opioid ( p = 0.03) pathways, and modulates tryptophan metabolism ( p FDR = 0.03) and neurotransmission-associated exosome miRNA transcripts. This intensive non-pharmacological mind-body intervention produces broad short-term neural and plasma-based molecular changes associated with enhanced neuroplasticity, metabolic reprogramming, and modulation of functional cell signaling pathways, highlighting the potential of mind-body techniques to modulate neural circuits and pathways important to health and well-being.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 40
- Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being JAMA Internal Medicine January 6, 2014
- Interoceptive inference, emotion, and the embodied self Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 12, 2013
- Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences November 23, 2011
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- A systematic review of the neurophysiology of mindfulness on EEG oscillations Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews 2015
and 35 more in the library