Large-scale genomic study reveals robust activation of the immune system following advanced Inner Engineering meditation retreat.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
; 118(51)2021 12 21.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1573990
ABSTRACT
The positive impact of meditation on human well-being is well documented, yet its molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. We applied a comprehensive systems biology approach starting with whole-blood gene expression profiling combined with multilevel bioinformatic analyses to characterize the coexpression, transcriptional, and protein-protein interaction networks to identify a meditation-specific core network after an advanced 8-d Inner Engineering retreat program. We found the response to oxidative stress, detoxification, and cell cycle regulation pathways were down-regulated after meditation. Strikingly, 220 genes directly associated with immune response, including 68 genes related to interferon signaling, were up-regulated, with no significant expression changes in the inflammatory genes. This robust meditation-specific immune response network is significantly dysregulated in multiple sclerosis and severe COVID-19 patients. The work provides a foundation for understanding the effect of meditation and suggests that meditation as a behavioral intervention can voluntarily and nonpharmacologically improve the immune response for treating various conditions associated with excessive or persistent inflammation with a dampened immune system profile.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Meditation
/
Transcriptome
/
Immune System
Topics:
Traditional medicine
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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