Clinical trial NCT03056105: The Psychobiological Effects of Participation in a One-Month Insight Meditation Retreat
Official title: The Psychobiological Effects of a One-Month Insight Meditation Retreat, a Sub-study of The Shamatha Project: A Longitudinal, Randomized Waitlist Control Study of Cognitive, Emotional, and Neural Effects of Intensive Meditation Training
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Aging
Keywords: Well-being, affiliation, inflammation
Lead sponsor: University of California, Davis
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of California, San Francisco
name: University of Barcelona
First posted: 2017-02-17
Enrollment: 66
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 70
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Healthy adults with meditation experience

Brief summary: The purpose of this study was to examine how participation in a 1 month intensive Insight (vipassana) Meditation retreat (a) affects biological markers of cellular aging, social affiliation, and inflammation, which are important for physical health, longevity, and behavior, and (b) to relate observed biological changes to baseline levels and changes in psychological traits, which may underlie improvements in personal adaptive functioning.

Detailed description: The investigators are specifically assessing the effects of retreat on telomere length and telomerase levels in participants' white blood cells, as well as plasma levels of interlukin-6 (IL-6), to assess how the retreat experience impacts these markers of cellular aging and inflammation. The hypotheses are that retreat participation will increase both telomere length and telomerase activity, but decrease IL-6 levels. The investigators will also assess the impact of retreat participation on oxytocin-a hormone involved in a number of physiological and behavioral processes, including affiliative bonds and stress responses-the hypothesis being that participation in the retreat will increase plasma oxytocin levels. The investigators will then explore how these and other biomarkers relate to psychological processes and personality traits, which may also be altered by participation in the meditation retreat.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Previous meditation experience equivalent to two 5-10 day residential meditation retreats

Exclusion Criteria:

* Disclosure of potentially contagious blood-borne illness (e.g., HIV, Hepatitis, etc.) or other illnesses that might interfere with telomere or telomerase measurement

Primary outcomes:
measure: Telomerase
timeFrame: change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
measure: Telomere length
timeFrame: change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
measure: Interleukin-6
timeFrame: change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
measure: Oxytocin
timeFrame: change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Arginine Vasopressin
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12 (p70), IL-13, IFN-γ, TNF-α)
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Lifestyle Profile II
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Experience in Close Relationships, short form
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Mysticism Scale
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Non-attachment Scale
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Ego Resiliency Scale
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Psychological Wellbeing Scale
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks apart
measure: Three Dimensional Wisdom Scale
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks
measure: Big Five Inventory
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks
measure: Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks
Other outcomes:
measure: Gene Expression of genes relating to inflammation and telomere regulation
timeFrame: two measurements, three weeks
Locations:
city: Davis
country: United States
facility: University of California, Davis
state: California
Study officials:
affiliation: University of California, Davis
name: Clifford D Saron, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Conklin QA, King BG, Zanesco AP, Lin J, Hamidi AB, Pokorny JJ, Alvarez-Lopez MJ, Cosin-Tomas M, Huang C, Kaliman P, Epel ES, Saron CD. Insight meditation and telomere biology: The effects of intensive retreat and the moderating role of personality. Brain Behav Immun. 2018 May;70:233-245. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.03.003. Epub 2018 Mar 5.