Molecular mechanisms of meditation

Molecular Neurobiology

Volumn 48, Issue 3, 2013, Pages 808-811

  Jindal, Vishal ^a   Gupta, Sorab ^a   Das, Ritwik ^b  

^a Genetic Centre   (India)

^b GOVERNMENT MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL   (India)

Author keywords

Meditation; Neuroendocrinology; Neurological; Prefrontal cortex

Indexed keywords

CYTOKINE; ENDORPHIN; HORMONE; NEUROTRANSMITTER;

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM; BRAIN CORTEX; CINGULATE GYRUS; HUMAN; LIMBIC SYSTEM; MEDITATION; MOLECULAR MECHANICS; NEUROCHEMISTRY; NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY; NEUROPHYSIOLOGY; PREFRONTAL CORTEX; REVIEW; WHITE MATTER;

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM; BRAIN; CYTOKINES; HUMANS; MEDITATION; NEUROSECRETORY SYSTEMS; NEUROTRANSMITTER AGENTS;

EID: 84887996248     PISSN: 08937648     EISSN: 15591182     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1007/s12035-013-8468-9     Document Type: Review

References (40)

1. Yang Y, Raine A (2009) Prefrontal structural and functional brain imaging findings in antisocial, violent, and psychopathic individuals: a meta-analysis. Psychiatry Res 174(2):81-88
2. Brefczynski L JA, Lutz A, Schaefer HS, Levinson DB, Davidson RJ (2007) Neural correlates of attentional expertise in long-term meditation practitioners. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104:11483-11488
3. Pollmann S (2004) Anterior prefrontal cortex contributions to attention control. Exp Psychol 51:270-278
4. Khalsa SS, Rudrauf D, Damasio A, Davidson RJ, Lutz A, Tranel D (2008) Interoceptive awareness in experienced meditators. Psychophysiology 45:671-677
5. Raffone A, Srinivasan N (2009) An adaptive workspace hypothesis about the neural correlates of consciousness: insights from neuroscience and meditation studies. Prog Brain Res 176:161-180
6. Tanga Y, Lub Q, Fand M, Yange Y, Posnerc M (2012) Mechanisms of white matter changes induced by meditation. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1207817109
7. Haznedar M, Buchsbaum S, Hazletta A, Shihabuddina L, Newa A, Sievera J (2004) Cingulate gyrus volume and metabolism in the schizophrenia spectrum. Schizophr Res 71:249-262
8. Fujiwara H, Hirao K, Namiki C, Yamada M, Shimizu M, Fukuyama H, Hayashi T, Murai T (2007) Anterior cingulate pathology and social cognition in schizophrenia: a study of gray matter, white matter and sulcal morphometry. NeuroImage 36:1236-1245
9. Johnson P, Penn L, Fredrickson L, Kring M, Meyer S, Catalino I, Brantley M (2011) A pilot study of loving-kindness meditation for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 129:137-140
10. Kang D, Jo H, Jung W, Kim S, Jung Y, Choi C, Lee S, An S, Jang J, Kwon J (2013) The effect of meditation on brain structure: cortical thickness mapping and diffusion tensor imaging. SCAN 8:27-33
11. Luders E, Kurth F, Mayer E, Toga A, Narr K, Gaser C (2012) The unique brain anatomy of meditation practioners: alteration in cortical gyrification. Front Hum Neurosci 6:1-9
12. Esch T, Fricchione GL, Stefano GB (2003) The therapeutic use of the relaxation response in stress-related diseases. Med Sci Monit 9:23-34
13. Travis F, Tecce J, Guttman J (2000) Cortical plasticity, contingent negative variation, and transcendent experiences during practice of the transcendental meditation technique. Biol Psychol 55:41-55
14. Stefano GB, Fricchione GL, Slingsby BT, Benson H (2001) The placebo effect and relaxation response: neural processes and their coupling to constitutive nitric oxide. Brain Res Brain Res Rev 35:1-19
15. Esch T, Stefano GB, Fricchione GL, Benson H (2002) The role of stress in neurodegenerative diseases and mental disorders. Neuroendocrinol Lett 23:199-208
16. Elias AN, Wilson AF (1995) Serum hormonal concentrations following transcendental meditation - potential role of gamma aminobutyric acid. Med Hypotheses 44:287-291
17. Luders E, Phillips O, Clark K, Kurth F, Toga A, Narr K (2012) Bridging the hemispheres in meditation: thicker callosal regions and enhanced fractional anisotropy (FA) in long-term practitioners. NeuroImage 61:181-187
18. Jevning R, Wallace K, Beidebach M (1992) The physiology of meditation: a review. A wakeful hypometabolic integrated response. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 16:415-424
19. Sudsuang R, Chentanez V, Veluvan K (1991) Effects of Buddhist meditation on serum cortisol and total protein levels, blood pressure, pulse rate, lung volume an reaction time. Physiol Behav 50:543-548
20. Travis F (2001) Autonomic and EEG patterns distinguish transcending from other experiences during transcendental meditation practice. Int J Psychophysiol 42:1-9
21. Peng K, Mietus JE, Liu Y et al (1999) Exaggerates heart rate oscillations during two meditation techniques. Int J Cardiol 70:101-107
22. Hugdahl K (1996) Cognitive influences on human autonomic nervous system function. Curr Opin Neurobiol 6:252-258
23. Reiter RJ (1991) Pineal melatonin: cell biology of its synthesis and of its physiological interactions. Endocr Rev 12:151-180
24. Tooley GA, Armstrong SM, Norman TR, Sali A (2000) Acute increases in night-time plasma melatonin levels following a period of meditation. Biol Psychol 53:69-78
25. Dollins AB, Lynch HJ, Wurtman RJ et al (1993) Effect of pharmacological daytime doses of melatonin on human mood and performance. Psychopharmacology 112:490-496
26. Praag H, Haan S (1980) Depression vulnerability and 5-hydroxytryptophan prophylaxis. Psychiatr Res 3:75-83
27. Walton KG, Pugh ND, Gelderloos P, Macrae P (1995) Stress reduction and preventing hypertension: preliminary support for a psychoneuroendocrine mechanism. J Altern Complement Med 1:263-283
28. Aghajanian GK, Marek GJ (1999) Serotonin and hallucinogens. Neuropsychopharmacology 21:16S-23S
29. Funke K, Eysel UT (1995) Possible enhancement of GABAergic inputs to cat dorsal lateral geniculate relay cells by serotonin. Neuroreport 6:474-476
30. Yoshida M, Sasa M, Takaori S (1984) Serotonin-mediated inhibition from dorsal raphe neurons nucleus of neurons in dorsal lateral geniculate and thalamic reticular nuclei. Brain Res 290:95-105
31. Vollenweider FX, Vontobel P, Hell D, Leenders KL (1999) 5-HT modulation of dopamine release in basal ganglia in psilocybin-induced psychosis in man - a PET study with [11C] raclopride. Neuropsychopharmacology 20:424-433
32. Manfridi A, Brambilla D, Mancia M (1999) Stimulation of NMDA and AMPA receptors in the rat nucleus basalis of Meynert affects sleep. Am J Physiol 277:1488-1492
33. Zhelyazkova-Savova MG, Giovannini G (1997) Increase of cortical acetylcholine release after systemic administration of chlorophenylpiperazine in the rat: an in vivo microdialysis study. Neurosci Lett 236:151-154
34. Bevan AJW (1980) Endocrine changes in transcendental meditation. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 7:75-76
35. Werrner O, Wallace R, Charles B, Gregorius Janssen G, Stryker T, Chalmers R (1986) Long-term endocrinologic changes in subjects practicing the transcendental meditation and TM-Sidhi program. Psychosom Med 48:59-65
36. Stefano GB, Esch T (2005) Integrative medical therapy: examination of meditation's therapeutic and global medicinal outcomes via nitric oxide (review). Int J Mol Med 16:621-630
37. Foote S (1987) Extrathalamic modulation of cortical function. Ann Rev Neurosci 10:67-95
38. Jevning R, Wilson AF, Davidson JM (1978) Adrenocortical activity during meditation. Horm Behav 10:54-60
39. Infanate J, Peran F, Martinez M, Roldan A, Poyatos R, Ruiz C, Samanigo F, Garridoacth F (1998) b-Endorphin in transcendental meditation. Physiol Behav 64:311-315
40. Jones BM (2001) Changes in cytokine production in healthy subjects practicing Guolin Qigong:a pilot study. BMC Complement Alternat Med 1:8