Clinical trial NCT05621694: Exploring Oxytocin Response to Meditative Movement
Official title: Exploring Oxytocin Response to Meditative Movement
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Hypertension
Lead sponsor: Arizona State University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-11-18
Enrollment: 21
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 55
Maximum age (years): 80
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Intervention model description: Meditative movement practice: Tai Chi Easy
Primary purpose: PREVENTION

Brief summary: This pilot study is designed to test effects of a single session of meditative movement (Tai Chi Easy) on older adults' blood pressure, perceptions of connection, mood, and oxytocin levels.

Detailed description: Endogenous oxytocin (the "cuddle hormone") is associated with lowering blood pressure (BP), suggesting that finding ways to increase oxytocin even in the absence of social connection, may be beneficial. Meditative movement emphasizing breath, meditative state and flow-inducing movements holds potential for reducing BP, improving mood and releasing oxytocin. In a single-group pilot study we exposed 21 OAs with mild-moderate hypertension to a 50-minute "Tai Chi Easy (TCE)" (simplified Tai Chi/Qigong) session, collecting BP, saliva samples for oxytocin, and psychosocial measures (connection, mood) pre/post intervention.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Age 55-80 --BP above 120/80 -

Exclusion Criteria:

* having a neurologic disorder such as Parkinson's, seizure disorder, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease
* answered "yes" to one or more questions on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q). The PAR-Q is a seven-question assessment that determines one's readiness, safety and ability to engage in physical activity and is safely validated for older adults

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Blood Pressure
timeFrame: Change from baseline (pre-intervention) blood pressure to immediately after the 50-minute intervention
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Change in Profile of Mood States; Short Form
timeFrame: Change from pre-intervention mood to immediately post-50-minute intervention point
measure: Change in perception of Connection (this is not a published scale, no formal name, created for this study)
timeFrame: Change from pre-intervention to immediately after the 50-minute intervention
measure: Change in Salivary Oxytocin
timeFrame: Change from pre-intervention to immediately after the 50-minute intervention
Other outcomes:
measure: The De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale
timeFrame: pre-intervention only
measure: Flow State Scale
timeFrame: immediately after the intervention
measure: Meditative Movement Inventory
timeFrame: immediately after the intervention
Locations:
city: Phoenix
country: United States
facility: Arizona State University Downtown Campus
state: Arizona
city: Phoenix
country: United States
facility: Arizona State University
state: Arizona
Study officials:
affiliation: Arizona State University
name: Linda K Larkey, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Larkey LK, James T, Han S, James DL. Pilot study of Qigong/Tai Chi Easy acute effects of meditative movement, breath focus and "flow" on blood pressure, mood and oxytocin in older adults. Complement Ther Med. 2023 Mar;72:102918. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102918. Epub 2023 Jan 7.