Transcriptomics of Long-Term Meditation Practice: Evidence for Prevention or Reversal of Stress Effects Harmful to Health.

Supaya Wenuganen,Paul Morehead,John Fagan,Shilpa Katta,Robert Keith Wallace,Gauthaman Sukumar,Frederick T Travis,Joshua Starr,Nancy K Lonsdorf,Kenneth G Walton,Meera Srivastava,Clifton L Dalgard

doi:10.3390/medicina57030218

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Stress can overload adaptive mechanisms, leading to epigenetic effects harmful to health. Research on the reversal of these effects is in its infancy. Early results suggest some meditation techniques have health benefits that grow with repeated practice. This study focused on possible transcriptomic effects of 38 years of twice-daily Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) practice. Materials and Methods: First, using Illumina® BeadChip microarray technology, differences in global gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were sought between healthy practitioners and tightly matched controls (n = 12, age 65). Second, these microarray results were verified on a subset of genes using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and were validated using qPCR in larger TM and control groups (n = 45, age 63). Bioinformatics investigation employed Ingenuity® Pathway Analysis (IPA®), DAVID, Genomatix, and R packages. Results: The 200 genes and loci found to meet strict criteria for differential expression in the microarray experiment showed contrasting patterns of expression that distinguished the two groups. Differential expression relating to immune function and energy efficiency were most apparent. In the TM group, relative to the control, all 49 genes associated with inflammation were downregulated, while genes associated with antiviral and antibody components of the defense response were upregulated. The largest expression differences were shown by six genes related to erythrocyte function that appeared to reflect a condition of lower energy efficiency in the control group. Results supporting these gene expression differences were obtained with qPCR-measured expression both in the well-matched microarray groups and in the larger, less well-matched groups. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with predictions based on results from earlier randomized trials of meditation and may provide evidence for stress-related molecular mechanisms underlying reductions in anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cardiovascular disease (CVD), and other chronic disorders and diseases.

Highlights

McEwen and Akil [1] recently outlined major steps of progress from 50 years of research on the neurobiology of stress
These results show first that the gene expression patterns obtained from the microarray analysis of small, demographically well-matched groups differ from each other in a manner consistent with expectations from prior research
The quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) results examining the relative expression of a sample of 15 key genes in these small groups as well as in larger, less well-matched groups appeared to uphold the trend of the microarray results

Summary

Introduction

McEwen and Akil [1] recently outlined major steps of progress from 50 years of research on the neurobiology of stress. Repeated exposure to even mild stressors can constrain adaptive mechanisms, contributing to cardiometabolic, cognitive, and behavioral disorders [1,2,3]. Such approaches to modeling physiological dysregulation predict illness and longevity [4,5]. Materials and Methods: First, using Illumina® BeadChip microarray technology, differences in global gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were sought between healthy practitioners and tightly matched controls (n = 12, age 65) These microarray results were verified on a subset of genes using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion