Biomarkers of Resilience in Stress Reduction for Caregivers of Alzheimer's Patients.
Lap Ho, Patricia A. Bloom, Joan G Vega, Shrishailam Yemul, Wei Zhao, Libby Ward, Evan Savage, Robert Rooney, Divyen H Patel, Giulio Maria Pasinetti
Neuromolecular medicine June 2016 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-016-8388-8 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study (single-group) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Adult non-professional caregivers of dementia (Alzheimer's disease) patients |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8-week MBSR training course |
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Dementia Emotional distress Family caregiver Mindfulness-based stress reduction |
| Key points | An 8-week MBSR course significantly improved psychological resilience in some caregivers of dementia patients, though not all benefited. Gene expression profiles of blood mononuclear cells identified biomarkers associated with the likelihood of benefiting from MBSR and with MBSR's psychological benefits, which the authors propose could inform a personalized-medicine approach to caregiver resilience. |
Abstract
Caregiving for a dementia patient is associated with increased risk of psychological and physical health problems. We investigated whether a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training course for caregivers that closely models the MBSR curriculum originally established by the Center of Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts may improve the psychological resilience of non-professional caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients. Twenty adult non-professional caregivers of dementia patients participated in an 8-week MBSR training course. Caregiver stress, depression, burden, grief, and gene expression profiles of blood mononuclear cells were assessed at baseline and following MBSR. MBSR training significantly improved the psychological resilience of some of the caregivers. We identified predictive biomarkers whose expression is associated with the likelihood of caregivers to benefit from MBSR, and biomarkers whose expression is associated with MBSR psychological benefits. Our biomarker studies provide insight into the mechanisms of health benefits of MBSR and a basis for developing a personalized medicine approach for applying MBSR for promoting psychological and cognitive resilience in caregivers of dementia patients.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on depression, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Remodeling the Epigenome Through Meditation: Effects on Brain, Body, and Well-being. Sub-cellular biochemistry 2025
- On the road to resilience: Epigenetic effects of meditation. Vitamins and hormones 2023
- Underlying mechanisms of mindfulness meditation: Genomics, circuits, and networks. World Journal of Psychiatry September 19, 2022
- Molecules of Silence: Effects of Meditation on Gene Expression and Epigenetics. Frontiers in Psychology 2020
- What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind-Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices. Frontiers in Immunology June 16, 2017
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