14 DAY TRIAL // An international collaboration of investigators recently proposed an interesting notion – that meditation, as a practice, may contribute to specific molecular changes in the human brain. The research group included scientists from the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UWM).
Working together with colleagues in France and Spain, the UWM team was able to show in a new study that practicing mindfulness meditation for a full day can lead to these effects in experienced practitioners, when compared to novices, PsychCentral reports.
After meditating for about 8 hours, experienced practitioners exhibited different levels of gene-regulating capabilities than non-experts, as well as lowered levels of pro-inflammatory genes in their bodies. Both of these traits potentially aid practitioners to alleviate the effects of stress faster than usual.
“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper that shows rapid alterations in gene expression within subjects associated with mindfulness meditation practice,” says researcher Richard J. Davidson, PhD, the author of the new paper. The work is detailed in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.