ReviewFrontiers in immunology2017
What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind-Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices.
Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 5 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 86 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
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.
Effect of Meditation and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on Cognition, Healing Process and Overall Well-being in Elderly Patients With Chronic Wounds
Caring for Caregivers With Mind-body Exercise
From the Heart Multi-Centre Study: Comparing the Effects of Spiritual and Secular Meditation on Psychophysiology, Cognition, Mental Health, and Social Functioning in Healthy Adults
Effects Of Meditation On The Gut Microbiome And Human Health and Disease
Effects of Meditation on Human Well Being
Who cites it
86 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 221 citations in OpenAlex.
- Mindfulness-Based Movement Intervention to Improve Sleep Quality: A Meta-Analysis and Moderator Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of Exercise on Sleep Quality and Insomnia in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2021Pooled it
- Yoga and immune system functioning: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2018Pooled it
- PCC-hippocampal functional connectivity associated with stress biomarker changes after meditation training for healthy adults.Neuroscience letters · 2025Trial
- Differential gene expression in response to AWARENESS: A randomized controlled trial of an intersectional minority stress intervention.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2025Trial
- The Effectiveness of Guided Imagery on Walking and Balance Dysfunction in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Behavioural neurology · 2025Trial
- Neurobiological and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of a Deep Diaphragmatic Breathing Technique Based on Neofunctional Psychotherapy: A Pilot RCT.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2024Trial
- Effects of Multi-Component Exercise on Sleep Quality in Middle-Aged Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Sleep disorders as a prospective intervention target to prevent drug relapse.Frontiers in public health · 2022Trial
- Understanding the psycho-neuro-endocrine-immunology pathways in glaucoma and their modulation by mindfulness meditation.Indian journal of ophthalmology · 2026Review
- Transcriptomic signatures of mind-body transformations therapy in breast cancer: Downregulation of the interferon signaling pathway.Breast (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2026Article
- Mind-body exercise as epigenetic modulators: Rewiring neural circuits for stress resilience and cognitive aging.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2026Review
- Molecular effects of digital psychological intervention for perinatal stress: cell culture, animal model validation, and machine learning-based biomarker identification.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Contemplative Practices as a Form of Stress Management for Patients with Kidney Disease.Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN · 2025Review
- Potential Mechanisms of Influence Between Spiritual Practices and Cognitive Health: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Model.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Neural and molecular changes during a mind-body reconceptualization, meditation, and open label placebo healing intervention.Communications biology · 2025Observational
- Psychoneuroimmunology of Mindfulness: What works, how it works, and for whom?Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Mind-body therapies and their interplay with the immune system in children and adolescents: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.Systematic reviews · 2025Article
- Effects of Yoga on Gene Expression: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.Cureus · 2025Review
- Traditional Islamic spiritual meditative practices: powerful psychotherapies for mental wellbeing.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
26 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
5 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
There is considerable evidence for the effectiveness of mind-body interventions (MBIs) in improving mental and physical health, but the molecular mechanisms of these benefits remain poorly understood. One hypothesis is that MBIs reverse expression of genes involved in inflammatory reactions that are induced by stress. This systematic review was conducted to examine changes in gene expression that occur after MBIs and to explore how these molecular changes are related to health. We searched PubMed throughout September 2016 to look for studies that have used gene expression analysis in MBIs (i.e., mindfulness, yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong, relaxation response, and breath regulation). Due to the limited quantity of studies, we included both clinical and non-clinical samples with any type of research design. Eighteen relevant studies were retrieved and analyzed. Overall, the studies indicate that these practices are associated with a downregulation of nuclear factor kappa B pathway; this is the opposite of the effects of chronic stress on gene expression and suggests that MBI practices may lead to a reduced risk of inflammation-related diseases. However, it is unclear how the effects of MBIs compare to other healthy interventions such as exercise or nutrition due to the small number of available studies. More research is required to be able to understand the effects of MBIs at the molecular level.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.