Time, Touch, Attention and the Autonomic Nervous System

Stress Clinical Trial

Official title:

The Impact of Interpersonal Mindful Compassion on Autonomic Nervous System Function

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01428674
• Other study ID #: IRB00015699
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: February 2011
• Est. completion date: June 2011

Study information

• Verified date: August 2018
• Source: Wake Forest University Health Sciences
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to describe the onset, duration and dose-response of interpersonal mindful compassion on respiratory rate and heart rate variability in healthy adults in order to prepare for research evaluating the impact of this intervention in patient populations and to prepare for basic research investigating the CNS mechanisms for observed effects.

Previous research has found that mindfulness meditation, including mindful compassion, results in autonomic changes in the practitioner. Emerging neuroscience of dyadic interactions suggests that through the effects of mirror neuron isopraxis, one person's physiologic state may be mirrored by another. However, no research has directly evaluated the impact of one person's mindful compassion on another person's autonomic activity. This study paves the way for an entirely new avenue of research inquiry.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 20
• Est. completion date: June 2011
• Est. primary completion date: June 2011
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 40 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy subjects age 18 - 40

Exclusion Criteria:

• Taking beta blocker medication

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Stress

Intervention

Other:
• Interpersonal Mindful Compassion with Touch
A practitioner lightly touches the participant on the hands, arms, shoulders, lower legs and feet while extending loving kindness to the participant.
• Reading while extending loving kindness
The practitioner sits in a room with the participant, pretending to read, while extending loving kindness to the participant.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
n/a

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Wake Forest University

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Change in Heart Rate Variability from pre-intervention period to intervention period		continuous monitoring for 10 min before intervention and during 10 or 20 minute intervention
Primary	Change in Respiratory Rate from pre-intervention period to intervention period		continuous monitoring for 10 minutes before intervention and during 10 or 20 minute intervention
Secondary	Perceived Stress, Relaxation, Peacefulness		baseline, after a 10 minute rest period, before 10 or 20 minute intervention, immediately after intervention, 20 minutes after intervention