The Psychobiological Effects of Participation in a One-Month Insight Meditation Retreat

Aging Clinical Trial

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

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03056105
• Other study ID #: 230734
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: February 10, 2017
• Last updated: May 24, 2017
• Start date: February 3, 2013
• Est. completion date: February 4, 2014

Study information

• Verified date: May 2017
• Source: University of California, Davis
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Observational

Clinical Trial 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.

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 66
• Est. completion date: February 4, 2014
• Est. primary completion date: February 4, 2014
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 70 Years

Eligibility

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

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Aging

Intervention

Other:
• Residential Insight Meditation Retreat
Retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center were led by teams of 6 experienced teachers. Participants practiced "noble silence"—refraining from eye contact as well as verbal and written communication—except during meetings with teachers. Teachers lead guided Insight meditation practices, as well as meditations on loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. The daily schedule consisted of sitting and walking meditation sessions (30-45 mins) totaling 8-10 hours/day, meals, and short work meditations (sweeping, dishes, etc.). Seated meditation was practiced as a group in a meditation hall with approximately 80 participants. Walking meditation took place in adjoining halls or on the grounds. Participants lived on-site during the retreat and were provided with a vegetarian diet.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	University of California, Davis	Davis	California

Sponsors (3)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
University of California, Davis	University of Barcelona, University of California, San Francisco

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Gene Expression of genes relating to inflammation and telomere regulation	PBMC RNA for exploratory gene expression studies	two measurements, three weeks
Primary	Telomerase	an enzyme that repairs the shortening of telomeres that occurs during aging	change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
Primary	Telomere length	the repetitive sequence of DNA that serves as a protective cap to eukaryotic chromosomes, which protects from degradation and instability and is related to longevity	change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
Primary	Interleukin-6	a primary measure of inflammation, which is influenced by psychological stress	change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
Primary	Oxytocin	an affiliative hormone associated with social bonding in both men and women, and which downregulates inflammatory cytokines	change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
Secondary	Arginine Vasopressin	a less commonly studied affiliative hormone also associated with close social bonds	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor	a protein related to neuroplasticity, learning, and memory, which is decreased in depression	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12 (p70), IL-13, IFN-?, TNF-a)	a family of proteins involved in generating and regulating the immune system	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	State-Trait Anxiety Inventory	10 item scale designed to assess trait-anxiety (STAI; Spielberger et al., 1983)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Lifestyle Profile II	Assesses health-promoting lifestyle factors (Walker et al., 1987)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Experience in Close Relationships, short form	Assesses attachment anxiety (fear of rejection or abandonment) and avoidance (avoidance of intimacy and interdependence) (ECR-12: Lafontaine et al., 2015)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Mysticism Scale	Assesses mystical experience and religious interpretation (M-Scale; Hood, 1975)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Non-attachment Scale	Assesses non-attachment from a Buddhist perspective (NAS; Sahdra, Shaver & Brown, 2010)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale	Assess five dimensions of wisdom: 1) Experience, 2) Emotional Regulation, 3) Reminiscence and Reflectiveness, 4) Openness, 5) Humor (SAWS; Webster, 2003)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Ego Resiliency Scale	Assesses the ability to adapt one's level of control temporarily up or down as circumstances dictate (EGO; Block & Kremen, 1996)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire	Assesses five facets of mindfulness: 1) Non-reactivity to Inner Experience, 2) Observing 3) Acting with Awareness, 4) Describing, and 5) Non-judging of Experience (FFMQ; Baer et al., 2006)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale	Assesses depressive symptomatology (CES-D; Radloff, 1977)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Psychological Wellbeing Scale	Assess autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance (PWBS; Ryff, 1989)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Secondary	Three Dimensional Wisdom Scale	Assess three dimensions of wisdom: 1) Cognitive, 2) Reflective, and 3) Affective (3-DWS; Ardelt, 2003)	two measurements, three weeks
Secondary	Big Five Inventory	Assesses extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience, neuroticism (BFI; Goldberg, 1993)	two measurements, three weeks
Secondary	Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale	Assesses non-acceptance to one's emotional responses, difficulty achieving goals, impulsiveness, lack of emotional awareness, access to emotion regulation strategies, emotional clarity (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004)	two measurements, three weeks