Preksha Dhyāna meditation induces alterations at the transcriptome level in novice and healthy college students
Bassam Abomoelak, Samani Unnata Pragya, Anthony J. Griswold, Neelam D. Mehta, Parvin Uddin, Pushya Veeramachaneni, Naina Mehta, Samani C. Pragya, Hesham Ali El Enshasy, Devendra I. Mehta
Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences December 3, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.11.060 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational transcriptomic study (paired before-after analysis) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 18 |
| Population | Novice healthy college student meditators |
| Intervention | Preksha Dhyana meditation |
| Duration | 8 weeks |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | After 8 weeks of Preksha Dhyana meditation, 494 genes were nominally differentially expressed in whole blood (136 upregulated, 358 downregulated), enriched in immunity, cell signaling, and metabolic pathways. The authors indicate these expression changes accompany previously observed cognitive improvements, though the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. |
Abstract
The human transcriptome across a variety of cell types and tissues are affected by stress and other psychological factors. Preksha Dhyana meditation (PM) is effective at improving cognitive skills in novice healthy college student meditators after 8 weeks of intervention, but the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in these improvements are still largely unknown. In order to decipher potential mechanisms at the cellular level, transcriptomic profiling analyses, from peripheral blood, were performed at baseline and 8 weeks post-intervention in 18-paired participants (RNASeq). At the transcriptomic level, 494 genes were nominally differentially expressed (p-value ≤ 0.05) between baseline and 8 weeks post-intervention. Our data showed that 136 genes were upregulated, while 358 genes were downregulated. These genes were enriched in several cellular pathways including innate and adaptive immunity, cell signaling, and other metabolic processes. Overall, our findings indicate that PM meditation affects gene expression patterns from whole blood in novice healthy college students. Improvements at the cognitive skills were also mirrored with changes at RNA expression profiling.