Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34998833›Full record

ReviewNeuroscience and biobehavioral reviews2022

Addressing the biological embedding of early life adversities (ELA) among adults through mindfulness: Proposed mechanisms and review of converging evidence.

Shufang Sun, Margaret A Sheridan, Audrey R Tyrka, Shannon D Donofry, Kirk I Erickson, Eric B Loucks

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 16% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Mindfulness for heart and mind: Mindfulness-based blood pressure reduction randomized clinical trial for depression symptoms.Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · 2026
    Trial
  3. Trial
  4. Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Shufang SunDepartment of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, United States; Mindfulness Center at Brown University, United States. Electronic address: shufang_sun@brown.edu.
Margaret A SheridanDepartment of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States.
Audrey R TyrkaInitiative on Stress, Trauma, and Resilience, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Alpert Medical School, United States.
Shannon D DonofryDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Kirk I EricksonDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
Eric B LoucksDepartment of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, United States; Mindfulness Center at Brown University, United States.
John Brown University · USUniversity of Pittsburgh · USBrown University · USUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · US

Funding

CARDIOVASCULAR BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE RESEARCH TRAININGT32HL007560 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI Peter J Gianaros, REBECCA C THURSTON · 1985 to 2026
$11.3M
Research Services CoreP2CHD050924 · NICHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI KAREN B GUZZO · 2015 to 2026
$9.6M
Rhythm Experience and Africana Culture Trial (REACT)R01AG060741 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI ERICKSON, KIRK I · 2018 to 2024
$4.0M
Risk Profiles and Mechanisms of Disease in Maltreated ChildrenR01HD086487 · NICHD · BUTLER HOSPITAL (PROVIDENCE, RI) · PI TYRKA, AUDREY · 2016 to 2020
$2.8M
Early Life Stress: Epigenetic Regulation of Endocrine and Immune PathwaysR01MH101107 · NIMH · BUTLER HOSPITAL (PROVIDENCE, RI) · PI TYRKA, AUDREY · 2014 to 2018
$2.6M
Developing Internet-Delivered, Mindfulness-based Intervention to Reduce HIV Risk and Promote Mental and Sexual Health among Young Adult MSMK23AT011173 · NCCIH · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI SUN, SHUFANG · 2020 to 2024
$1.0M
Reversibility Network: Interventions to Reverse or Remediate Effects of Early Life Adversity on Ageing ProcessesR24AG065174 · NIA · BROWN UNIVERSITY · PI GODFREY, KEITH, LOUCKS, ERIC · 2020 to 2020
$421k
NCCIH NIH HHS K23 AT011173NHLBI NIH HHS T32 HL007560NIA NIH HHS R01 AG060741NIA NIH HHS R24 AG065174NICHD NIH HHS P2C HD050924NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD086487NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH101107
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Early life adversities (ELA) are prevalent and have a profound and adverse impact across the lifespan, including on age-related health outcomes, yet interventions to remediate its adverse impact are scarce. This paper presents evidence for mindfulness training to reduce the elevated mental and physical health risks linked to ELA among adults by targeting biological mechanisms of ELA leading to these adverse health outcomes. We first provide a brief overview of ELA, its adverse health impacts, and mechanisms that might be responsible. Next, we review converging evidence that demonstrates that mindfulness training influences key biological pathways involved in ELA-linked negative health consequences, including (a) brain networks involved in self-regulation, (b) immunity and inflammation, (c) telomere biology, and (d) epigenetic modifications. Further, we review preliminary evidence from mindfulness-based trials that focused on populations impacted by ELA. We discuss limitations of this review and provide recommendations for future research. If effective, a mindfulness-based approach could be an important public health strategy for remediating the adverse mental and physical health consequences of ELA.

Indexed as

MindfulnessAdultBrainHumansInflammationAgingEarly life adversityMechanismMindfulnessReversibility

Identifiers

PMID34998833
PMCPMC8844271
OpenAlexW4206467624

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.