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 Mehta

doi:10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.11.060

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 Mehta

Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences December 3, 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.sjbs.2021.11.060 (opens in new tab)

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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.

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

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