ArticlePsychoneuroendocrinology2014
Rapid changes in histone deacetylases and inflammatory gene expression in expert meditators.
Article in Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 96 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Mindfulness as a Complementary Intervention for Overweight Primary Care Patients: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial
Psychological and Neurobiological Impact of a Retreat Based on Mindfulness and Compassion for Stress Reduction.
Who cites it
96 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 294 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions for individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized control trials.Scientific reports · 2024Pooled it
- Summary of the effect of an exercise intervention on antenatal depression and the optimal program: a systematic review and Meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Stress-Reducing Interventions on the Response to Challenges to the Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Review.Psychotherapy and psychosomatics · 2019Pooled it
- Mindfulness meditation and the immune system: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · 2016Pooled it
- Yoga for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials.Journal of diabetes research · 2016Pooled it
- The effect of a mindfulness-based stress intervention on neurobiological and symptom measures in adolescents with early life stress: a randomized feasibility study.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2021Trial
- The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on Depression, Cognition, and Immunity in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Feasibility Study.Clinical interventions in aging · 2020Trial
- Preliminary indications of the effect of a brief yoga intervention on markers of inflammation and DNA methylation in chronically stressed women.Translational psychiatry · 2016Trial
- Meditation and vacation effects have an impact on disease-associated molecular phenotypes.Translational psychiatry · 2016Trial
- Cost-utility and biological underpinnings of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) versus a psychoeducational programme (FibroQoL) for fibromyalgia: a 12-month randomised controlled trial (EUDAIMON study).BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2016Trial
- The secret ingredient in mindfulness interventions? A case for practice quality over quantity.Journal of counseling psychology · 2014Trial
- Effectiveness of a Self-Care Toolkit for Surgical Breast Cancer Patients in a Military Treatment Facility.Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.)Trial
- A Healthy Lifestyle Can Slow Immune System Aging and Reduce Age-Related Chronic Inflammation: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Consciousness emerges from temporal integration across biological scales: from cellular memory to phenomenological experience.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2026Article
- Traditional, complementary and integrative health within universal systems: a transdisciplinary integrative approach to chronic conditions in the Brazilian SUS.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Air pollution and Alzheimer's disease prevention: The science and a prevention plan.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2025Review
- Contemplative Practices as a Form of Stress Management for Patients with Kidney Disease.Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN · 2025Review
- Genetics and Neurobiology of Treatment-Resistant Depression-A Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Review
- From Womb to Mind: Prenatal Epigenetic Influences on Mental Health Disorders.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
36 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundA growing body of research shows that mindfulness meditation can alter neural, behavioral and biochemical processes. However, the mechanisms responsible for such clinically relevant effects remain elusive.
methodsHere we explored the impact of a day of intensive practice of mindfulness meditation in experienced subjects (n=19) on the expression of circadian, chromatin modulatory and inflammatory genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In parallel, we analyzed a control group of subjects with no meditation experience who engaged in leisure activities in the same environment (n=21). PBMC from all participants were obtained before (t1) and after (t2) the intervention (t2-t1=8h) and gene expression was analyzed using custom pathway focused quantitative-real time PCR assays. Both groups were also presented with the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST).
resultsCore clock gene expression at baseline (t1) was similar between groups and their rhythmicity was not influenced in meditators by the intensive day of practice. Similarly, we found that all the epigenetic regulatory enzymes and inflammatory genes analyzed exhibited similar basal expression levels in the two groups. In contrast, after the brief intervention we detected reduced expression of histone deacetylase genes (HDAC 2, 3 and 9), alterations in global modification of histones (H4ac; H3K4me3) and decreased expression of pro-inflammatory genes (RIPK2 and COX2) in meditators compared with controls. We found that the expression of RIPK2 and HDAC2 genes was associated with a faster cortisol recovery to the TSST in both groups.
conclusionsThe regulation of HDACs and inflammatory pathways may represent some of the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic potential of mindfulness-based interventions. Our findings set the foundation for future studies to further assess meditation strategies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.