Changes in the expression of inflammatory and epigenetic-modulatory genes after an intensive meditation retreat

Abstract

Background: Meditation retreats are characterized by intensive or concentrated periods of meditation practice, commonly undertaken in a residential setting. Although research indicates that meditation training can positively influence physical and mental health outcomes, the biological consequences of meditation retreat interventions are relatively understudied. In this study, we examined the influence of a month-long, silent meditation retreat on the expression of genes involved in epigenetic modulation and immune processes.

Method: We assessed gene expression changes in experienced meditators attending a month-long Insight meditation retreat (n = 28), as compared to a community control group (n = 34) of experienced practitioners living their everyday lives. Blood samples were collected on day two of the retreat (Time 1) and again 3 weeks later (Time 2). Control participants were also assessed across a 3-week interval, during which they maintained their regular daily routines.

Results: As compared to controls, retreat participants showed differential changes in the expression of several genes involved in chromatin modulation and inflammation. The most substantive finding was downregulation of the TNF pathway in retreat participants, which was not observed in controls.

Conclusions: These findings indicate that meditation retreat participation may influence some of the inflammatory mechanisms involved in the development of chronic diseases, and that this style of psychosocial intervention may have therapeutic potential, particularly in experienced practitioners.

Keywords: Cytokines; Epigenetics; Gene expression; Meditation; Mindfulness; Retreat.

Fig. 1

A)Dendrograms and heatmaps depicting relations between genes across participants at each time point. The dendrograms drawn to the left show the hierarchical clustering between genes. In the heat maps, the red end of the gradient indicates lower gene expression while blue indicates greater expression. Each column represents the gene expression profile for one participant, with retreat participants plotted to the left of the black line and controls plotted to the right. B) Gene expression heatmaps by Group and Time. Each row represents an individual participant; columns represent individual genes. Here, the most notable differences between groups lie in COX2, IL8 and IL1β, which are lower in the retreat group at Time 1 as shown in the upper left panel. There is also a visible pattern of upregulation in CCR3, CXCR2, and GADD45G across groups at Time 2, shown in the panels on the right. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the Web version of this article.)

Fig. 2

Significant Group effects that survived False Discovery Rate correction. Expression values were log transformed. Error bars represent standard errors of the mean. Group differences at Time 1 or Time 2 are indicated: ns = not significant, *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.

Fig. 3

Significant Group × Time effects that survived False Discovery Rate correction. Gene expression values were log transformed. Error bars represent standard errors of the mean. Group differences at Time 1 or Time 2 are indicated: ns = not significant, *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001.