Genomic counter-stress changes induced by the relaxation response.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized controlled cohort study with cross-sectional and prospective components
PubMed 18596974 · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002576
What was done
Whole blood transcriptional profiles were analyzed across three groups of healthy participants: 19 long-term practitioners of daily relaxation response (RR) practices (group M), 19 healthy controls (group N1), and 20 control participants who completed 8 weeks of RR training (group N2). Differential gene expression, gene ontology, and gene set enrichment analyses were conducted. Findings were tested in an independent validation set of 5 controls (N1), 5 short-term practitioners (N2), and 6 long-term practitioners (M).
What was found
Compared to controls (N1), 2,209 genes were differentially expressed in long-term practitioners (M; p < 0.05) and 1,561 genes were differentially expressed in participants after 8 weeks of RR training (N2; p < 0.05). A total of 433 differentially expressed genes were shared between long-term and short-term groups (p < 10^-10). Gene ontology and enrichment analyses showed significant alterations in cellular metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, reactive oxygen species generation, and oxidative stress response pathways in both practitioner groups.
Why it matters
This study provides evidence that eliciting the relaxation response induces distinct whole-blood gene expression changes, highlighting shared alterations in oxidative stress and metabolic pathways in both novice and experienced practitioners.
Limits
The study had a small sample size (n = 58 in the primary cohort, n = 16 in validation) and lacked randomization or an active comparison group for the 8-week training cohort. Whole-blood transcriptional changes may not reflect tissue-specific effects, and downstream protein or clinical outcomes were not assessed.
Cited by
- partial Meditation can rapidly induce gene expression changes, altering the expression of around 500 different genes within the first few minutes.