The aim of this article is to review the literature on Tai Chi and meditation. A coherent construct is developed that includes a comparative analysis and conceptual synthesis of existing theories. The authors discuss a set of assumptions that justify this synthesis; they also argue that this construct would facilitate greater understanding of Tai Chi from the perspective of meditation. Such synthesis may bring "additional" benefits to Tai Chi practitioners as they could recognize that this mind-body technique holds the essence of meditation. Within the scope of this article, the evidence shows a majority of common features when concerning Tai Chi and meditation. These mutual similarities should be taken into account when performing this type of mind-body medicine by patients and/or therapists. Finally, the authors suggest that this inspiring compilation of movements and mindfulness can be used for practical purposes.

J Holist Nurs. 2009 Jun;27(2):103-14. Posadzki P, Jacques S. University of East Anglia, School of Medicine, Health Policy.

In this article, we studied how meditation affects the characteristics of the cardiovascular system, mainly based on blood pressure waveforms (BPW). Four parameters derived from BPW include the rising slope (h(1)/t(1)), normalized height of T wave (h(3)/h(1)), normalized height of V(3) valley (h(4)/h(1)) and normalized height of D wave (h(5)/h(1)), where t(1) and h(i), i = 1, ... ,5 are quantitative features of the BPW waveform pattern. A larger value of h(1)/t(1) reflects better heart ejection ability and aorta compliance. A larger value of h(3)/h(1) may infer an arterial system with good elasticity. The decrease (increase) of h(4)/h(1) parameter indicates the decrease (increase) of peripheral resistance of vessels. A larger value of h(5)/h(1) indicates better artery elasticity and aortic valve function. In comparison with the control group, Zen-meditation practitioners have more after-meditation h(1)/t(1), h(3)/h(1) and h(5)/h(1) increase, with more h(4)/h(1) decrease, with statistical significance (P < 0.05). The observation allows us to infer that Zen meditation may effectively improve relevant characteristics of the cardiovascular system.

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2009 Mar;6(1):107-12. Liu CY, Wei CC, Lo PC. Department of Electrical and Control Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 Ta-Hsueh Road, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan, R.O.C. pclo@faculty.nctu.edu.tw.

Full Title: I think therefore I am: cognitive distortions and coping style as mediators for the effects of mindfulness meditation on anxiety, positive and negative affect, and hope.

This study examined cognitive distortions and coping styles as potential mediators for the effects of mindfulness meditation on anxiety, negative affect, positive affect, and hope in college students. Our pre- and postintervention design had four conditions: control, brief meditation focused on attention, brief meditation focused on loving kindness, and longer meditation combining both attentional and loving kindness aspects of mindfulness. Each group met weekly over the course of a semester. Longer combined meditation significantly reduced anxiety and negative affect and increased hope. Changes in cognitive distortions mediated intervention effects for anxiety, negative affect, and hope. Further research is needed to determine differential effects of types of meditation. Copyright 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

J Clin Psychol. 2009 Jun;65(6):561-73. Sears S, Kraus S. Fort Lewis College, CO. USA. Sears_s@fortlewis.edu

Full Title: Universal school-based substance abuse prevention programs: Modeling targeted mediators and outcomes for adolescent cigarette, alcohol and marijuana use.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the relationships among targeted constructs of social influences and competence enhancement prevention curricula and cigarette, alcohol and marijuana use outcomes in a diverse sample of high school students. We tested the causal relationships of normative beliefs, perceptions of harm, attitudes toward use of these substances and refusal, communication, and decision-making skills predicting the self-reported use of each substance. In addition, we modeled the meditation of these constructs through the intentions to use each substance and tested the moderating effects of the skills variables on the relationships between intentions to use and self-reported use of each of these substances. METHODS: Logistic regression path models were constructed for each of the drug use outcomes. Models were run using the Mplus 5.0 statistical application using the complex sample function to control for the sampling design of students nested within schools; full information maximum likelihood estimates (FIML) were utilized to address missing data. RESULTS: Relationships among targeted constructs and outcomes differed for each of the drugs with communication skills having a potentially iatrogenic effect on alcohol use. Program targets were mediated through the intentions to use these substances. Finally, we found evidence of a moderating effect of decision-making skills on perceptions of harm and attitudes toward use, depending upon the outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Prevention curricula may need to target specific drugs. In addition to normative beliefs, perceptions of harm, and refusal and decision-making skills, programs should directly target constructs proximal to behavioral outcomes such as attitudes and intentions. Finally, more research on the effects of communication skills on adolescent substance use should be examined.

Drug Alcohol Depend. 2009 Jun 1;102(1-3):19-29. Stephens PC, Sloboda Z, Stephens RC, Teasdale B, Grey SF, Hawthorne RD, Williams J. Department of Public Administration and Urban Affairs, The University of Akron, 225 S. Main Street, Suite 265, Akron, OH 44325-7904, United States. tonkin@uakron.edu

by Jeff Belyea, PhD

Research at Harvard Business School has concluded "meditation and intuition are the two most valuable executive tools for the 21st century".

Imagine a senior management team or a board of directors who are gathered together to make several important decisions. On the table are crucial matters that could change the course of corporate life, or even make the different between success and failure of the company.

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The "false-hope syndrome" suggests that unrealistic expectations are responsible for the cycle of repeated failure and renewed efforts at self-change characterizing many self-changers. Our hypotheses were that: (1) committing to a particular self-change task would inflate initial expectations, (2) participants would be unsuccessful relative to their expectations, and (3) more elevated expectations would lead to more negative outcomes. Participants were randomly assigned to either increase their physical activity or reduce their stress through meditating or were assigned to a no-change control group. In accordance with Hypotheses 1 and 2, exercise participants had more positive expectations about their resolutions immediately after committing to them, and both exercise and meditation participants were unsuccessful relative to their expectations. With respect to Hypothesis 3, however, having more positive expectations about one's resolution did not predict a worse outcome.

Behav Ther. 2009 Jun;40(2):164-70. Trottier K, Polivy J, Herman CP. University Health Network, and Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. kathryn.trottier@uhn.on.ca

by Robert Puff, PhD

What Meditation Is
Simply put, meditation is sitting still and quieting your mind. It is the act of being totally present with "what is," without making mental commentary. When you meditate, you are in the most pristine, natural state of being. In other words, your mind is quiet and you are "just being." Think of meditating as the freedom to "just be." There's no pressure. There are no deadlines. And while there are a lot of different styles of meditation, there's really no right or wrong way to do it. You are simply in a calming, peaceful "state of being." I believe that when you are in this quiet state of mind, you are a human being, instead of a human doing...

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Five days of integrative body-mind training (IBMT) improves attention and self-regulation in comparison with the same amount of relaxation training. This paper explores the underlying mechanisms of this finding. We measured the physiological and brain changes at rest before, during, and after 5 days of IBMT and relaxation training. During and after training, the IBMT group showed significantly better physiological reactions in heart rate, respiratory amplitude and rate, and skin conductance response (SCR) than the relaxation control. Differences in heart rate variability (HRV) and EEG power suggested greater involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the IBMT group during and after training. Imaging data demonstrated stronger subgenual and adjacent ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) activity in the IBMT group. Frontal midline ACC theta was correlated with high-frequency HRV, suggesting control by the ACC over parasympathetic activity. These results indicate that after 5 days of training, the IBMT group shows better regulation of the ANS by a ventral midfrontal brain system than does the relaxation group. This changed state probably reflects training in the coordination of body and mind given in the IBMT but not in the control group. These results could be useful in the design of further specific interventions.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2009 Jun 2;106(22):8865-70. Tang YY, Ma Y, Fan Y, Feng H, Wang J, Feng S, Lu Q, Hu B, Lin Y, Li J, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Zhou L, Fan M. Institute of Neuroinformatics and Laboratory for Body and Mind, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China. yiyuan@uoregon.edu

OBJECTIVE: To provide a descriptive overview of the clinical trials assessing meditation practices for health care. DESIGN: Systematic review of the literature. Comprehensive searches were conducted in 17 electronic bibliographic databases through September 2005. Other sources of potentially relevant studies included hand searches, reference tracking, contacting experts, and gray literature searches. Included studies were clinical trials with 10 or more adult participants using any meditation practice, providing quantitative data on health-related outcomes, and published in English. Two independent reviewers assessed study relevance, extracted the data, and assessed the methodological quality of the studies. RESULTS: Four hundred clinical trials on meditation (72% described as randomized) were included in the review (publication years 1956-2005). Five broad categories of meditation practices were identified: mantra meditation, mindfulness meditation, yoga, t'ai chi, and qigong. The three most studied clinical conditions were hypertension, miscellaneous cardiovascular diseases, and substance abuse. Psychosocial measures were the most frequently reported outcomes. Outcome measures of psychiatric and psychological symptoms dominate the outcomes of interest. Overall, the methodological quality of clinical trials is poor, but has significantly improved over time by 0.014 points every year (95% CI, 0.005, 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: Most clinical trials on meditation practices are generally characterized by poor methodological quality with significant threats to validity in every major quality domain assessed. Despite a statistically significant improvement in the methodological quality over time, it is imperative that future trials on meditation be rigorous in design, execution, analysis, and the reporting of results.

J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Dec;14(10):1199-213. Ospina MB, Bond K, Karkhaneh M, Buscemi N, Dryden DM, Barnes V, Carlson LE, Dusek JA, Shannahoff-Khalsa D. University of Alberta Evidence-Based Practice Center, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. mospina@ualberta.ca

by Vincenzo Altepost

The first contemplation is the easiest. Meditation lets us naturally experience a condition of deep peace. A person with problems always has a restless mind. Meditation provides us with a natural, medicine free, experience of calmness. Morning and evening meditation allows us to relax our restless mind at least twice a day. This natural tranquillity makes us gain distance from our problems, which shift to become duties. With a quiet mind, we have a higher capacity to cope with our emotions, being more and more able to face our duties. The quality of the experiencing our own life is influenced by and dependent on our identification mechanism. Our identification depends on our experiences. We tend to identify ourselves in relation to our experiences. Each experience has three aspects:

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Full Title:The effectiveness of a stress coping program based on mindfulness meditation on the stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by nursing students in Korea.

This study examined the effectiveness of a stress coping program based on mindfulness meditation on the stress, anxiety, and depression experienced by nursing students in Korea. A nonequivalent, control group, pre-posttest design was used. A convenience sample of 41 nursing students were randomly assigned to experimental (n=21) and control groups (n=20). Stress was measured with the PWI-SF (5-point) developed by Chang. Anxiety was measured with Spieberger's state anxiety inventory. Depression was measured with the Beck depression inventory. The experimental group attended 90-min sessions for eight weeks. No intervention was administered to the control group. Nine participants were excluded from the analysis because they did not complete the study due to personal circumstances, resulting in 16 participants in each group for the final analysis. Results for the two groups showed (1) a significant difference in stress scores (F=6.145, p=0.020), (2) a significant difference in anxiety scores (F=6.985, p=0.013), and (3) no significant difference in depression scores (t=1.986, p=0.056). A stress coping program based on mindfulness meditation was an effective intervention for nursing students to decrease their stress and anxiety, and could be used to manage stress in student nurses. In the future, long-term studies should be pursued to standardize and detail the program, with particular emphasis on studies to confirm the effects of the program in patients with diseases, such as cancer.

Nurse Educ Today. 2009 Jul;29(5):538-43. . Kang YS, Choi SY, Ryu E. Department of Preventive Medicine, Institute of Health Science, School of Medicine, Gyeong-Sang National University, 92 Chilam-dong, Chinju 660-751, Republic of Korea.

Although the systematic study of meditation is still in its infancy, research has provided evidence for meditation-induced improvements in psychological and physiological well-being. Moreover, meditation practice has been shown not only to benefit higher-order cognitive functions but also to alter brain activity. Nevertheless, little is known about possible links to brain structure. Using high-resolution MRI data of 44 subjects, we set out to examine the underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation with different regional specificity (i.e., global, regional, and local). For this purpose, we applied voxel-based morphometry in association with a recently validated automated parcellation approach. We detected significantly larger gray matter volumes in meditators in the right orbito-frontal cortex (as well as in the right thalamus and left inferior temporal gyrus when co-varying for age and/or lowering applied statistical thresholds). In addition, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the right hippocampus. Both orbito-frontal and hippocampal regions have been implicated in emotional regulation and response control. Thus, larger volumes in these regions might account for meditators' singular abilities and habits to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage in mindful behavior. We further suggest that these regional alterations in brain structures constitute part of the underlying neurological correlate of long-term meditation independent of a specific style and practice. Future longitudinal analyses are necessary to establish the presence and direction of a causal link between meditation practice and brain anatomy.

Neuroimage. 2009 Apr 15;45(3):672-8. Luders E, Toga AW, Lepore N, Gaser C. Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095-7334, USA.

Full Title: EEG dynamics of experienced Zen meditation practitioners probed by complexity index and spectral measure.

Changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristics in experienced Zen meditation practitioners (n = 23) during 40 minutes of meditation were compared with those in the matched controls (n = 23) taking a rest for 40 minutes. Averaged complexity index ([image omitted] ) evaluation and spectral analysis were measured in three intervals: the first, middle and the last 5-min segments of Zen meditation or relaxing rest. Significant increase in frontal alpha-1 (8-10 Hz) and occipital beta power was found during meditation as compared with the EEG under the rest, whereas an average increase of theta power was observed in the controls. In meditation, brain dynamics exhibited high [image omitted] , which correlated with more beta activity. Control subjects showed no significant change in [image omitted] level. This distinction became more significant during the last 5 minutes of meditation over most electrodes. Deeper meditation state has been reported as having implications of increased beta power that can be more prominent by the approach of [image omitted] estimation. Our results substantiate the idea that long-term training with Zen-Buddhist meditation induces changes in the electro-cortical activity of the brain.

J Med Eng Technol. 2009;33(4):314-21. Huang HY, Lo PC. Department of Electrical and Control Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Republic of China. hsuany.ece88g@nctu.edu.tw

In this article, we describe the clinical applicability of loving-kindness meditation (LKM) to individuals suffering from schizophrenia-spectrum disorders with persistent negative symptoms. LKM may have potential for reducing negative symptoms such as anhedonia, avolition, and asociality while enhancing factors consistent with psychological recovery such as hope and purpose in life. Case studies will illustrate how to conduct this group treatment with clients with negative symptoms, the potential benefits to the client, and difficulties that may arise. Although LKM requires further empirical support, it promises to be an important intervention since there are few treatments for clients afflicted with negative symptoms. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: In Session 65: 1-11, 2009.

J Clin Psychol. 2009 Mar 6;65(5):499-509. Johnson DP, Penn DL, Fredrickson BL, Meyer PS, Kring AM, Brantley M. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

A three-stimulus auditory oddball series was presented to experienced Vipassana meditators during meditation and a control thought period to elicit event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in the two different mental states. The stimuli consisted of a frequent standard tone (500 Hz), an infrequent oddball tone (1000 Hz), and an infrequent distracter (white noise), with all stimuli passively presented through headphones and no task imposed. The strongest meditation compared to control state effects occurred for the distracter stimuli: N1 amplitude from the distracter was reduced frontally during meditation; P2 amplitude from both the distracter and oddball stimuli were somewhat reduced during meditation; P3a amplitude from the distracter was reduced during meditation. The meditation-induced reduction in P3a amplitude was strongest in participants reporting more hours of daily meditation practice and was not evident in participants reporting drowsiness during their experimental meditative session. The findings suggest that meditation state can decrease the amplitude of neurophysiologic processes that subserve attentional engagement elicited by unexpected and distracting stimuli. Consistent with the aim of Vipassana meditation to reduce cognitive and emotional reactivity, the state effect of reduced P3a amplitude to distracting stimuli reflects decreased automated reactivity and evaluative processing of task irrelevant attention-demanding stimuli.

Int J Psychophysiol. 2009 Apr;72(1):51-60. Cahn BR, Polich J. Medical School, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. rael.cahn@gmail.com

BACKGROUND: Solid organ transplant recipients must take immune suppressive medications that have side effects, cause complications, and lead to distressing symptoms that reduce health-related quality of life (QOL). Mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce these symptoms in other patient populations, and it is unlikely to interfere with the immune suppressive medication regimen. PURPOSE: This article describes the design and rationale of a clinical trial to determine whether training in mindfulness meditation can reduce depression, anxiety and insomnia after transplantation, and summarizes baseline characteristics of the participants. METHODS: Transplant recipients were randomized in equal numbers to one of three arms: a Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program consisting of 8 weeks of group instruction, home practice and telephone monitoring; a time and attention control Health Education program; or a waitlist arm. After serving 6 months as waitlist controls, these participants were re-randomized to MBSR or Health Education. Evaluations were obtained at baseline (prior to the active interventions), 8 weeks, 6 months, and 1 year (after randomization to MBSR or Health Education only). The primary analysis will compare composite symptom scores between MBSR and Health Education, initially or after serving in the waitlist. Subsequent analyses will compare these two groups on depression, anxiety, and insomnia symptom scales and secondary outcomes of health-related QOL, actigraphy, and health care utilization. A separate analysis, using only data collected before re-randomization, will compare short-term outcomes between the waitlist and active treatment arms. RESULTS: One hundred fifty recipients were randomized and 72% of waitlist participants (31/43) were recycled to an active intervention after 6 months. Patient characteristics were balanced across trial arms after initial and secondary randomizations. LIMITATIONS: Transplant recipients are a very select population. Their adherence to the intervention and willingness to serve as waitlist controls prior to re-randomization may be atypical. Participants were not blinded to treatment and primary outcomes are self-reports. CONCLUSION: The innovative design used in the trial enabled the waitlist group to directly contribute to the number in the primary analysis of active arms, and to also serve as an internal validation test. The trial may be a useful model for trials involving very small target populations.

Clin Trials. 2009 Feb;6(1):76-89. Gross CR, Kreitzer MJ, Reilly-Spong M, Winbush NY, Schomaker EK, Thomas W. Dept of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455, USA. gross002@umn.edu.

Many studies find racial differences in prayer and religious practices, but few reports examine factors that help explain the effects of Hispanic ethnicity or African American race. A national survey conducted in 2002 collected data on 10 non-religious spiritual practices as well as on prayer for health reasons in 22,929 adults aged 18 years and over. We found marked racial and ethnic differences in the use of prayer and other spiritual practices for health reasons. Greater proportions of African Americans and Hispanic Americans than European Americans reported prayer for health reasons. Sociodemographic variables and health status could not explain these differences. Further, among those who reported prayer, African Americans were more likely than European Americans to report being prayed for by others. However, African American women and Hispanic women and men were significantly less likely than European Americans to use other spiritual practices such as meditation and Tai Chi. Surprisingly African American men were just as likely to report these practices as European American men. Sociodemographic variables and health status could not explain these differences.

J Relig Health. 2009 Mar 31. Gillum F, Griffith DM. College of Medicine, Howard University, 1112 Nora Drive, Silver Spring, MD, 20904, USA, Frank.gillum@gmail.com.

This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), a treatment combining mindfulness meditation and interventions taken from cognitive therapy, in patients suffering from chronic-recurrent depression. Currently symptomatic patients with at least three previous episodes of depression and a history of suicidal ideation were randomly allocated to receive either MBCT delivered in addition to treatment-as-usual (TAU; N=14 completers) or TAU alone (N=14 completers). Depressive symptoms and diagnostic status were assessed before and after treatment phase. Self-reported symptoms of depression decreased from severe to mild levels in the MBCT group while there was no significant change in the TAU group. Similarly, numbers of patients meeting full criteria for depression decreased significantly more in the MBCT group than in the TAU group. Results are consistent with previous uncontrolled studies. Although based on a small sample and, therefore, limited in their generalizability, they provide further preliminary evidence that MBCT can be used to successfully reduce current symptoms in patients suffering from a protracted course of the disorder.

Behav Res Ther. 2009 Feb 5. Barnhofer T, Crane C, Hargus E, Amarasinghe M, Winder R, Williams JM. Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK.

The more important clinical manifestations and the opportunities of screening of Down syndrome are shortly summerized in this paper. The methods used for screening (biochemical markers, fetal ultrasound signs) and the most important screening tests (combined screening, integrated screening) are shown. Afterwards the author analyses the situation of screening in Hungary, and he underlines that the maternal age over 35 years, as well as the lower level of alfa-fetoprotein in the serum cannot be the only indication of amniocentesis. The first aim should be to increase the detection rate of disease diagnostics and to decrease the number of amniocenteses. Nowadays the most effective screening method is the combined test in the first trimester. The nationwide introduction of this method requires the improvement of personal and material environment of ultrasound diagnostics and the corresponding financial background.

Orv Hetil. 2009 Mar 15;150(11):497-502. Gardó S. Petz Aladár Megyei Oktató Kórház Szülészeti és Nogyógyászati Osztály Gyor Pf. 92. 9002.

This randomized controlled trial investigated effects of Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice on Brain Integration Scale scores (broadband frontal coherence, power ratios, and preparatory brain responses), electrodermal habituation to 85-dB tones, sleepiness, heart rate, respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and P300 latencies in 50 college students. After pretest, students were randomly assigned to learn TM immediately or learn after the 10-week posttest. There were no significant pretest group differences. A MANOVA of students with complete data (N=38) yielded significant group vs treatment interactions for Brain Integration Scale scores, sleepiness, and habituation rates (all p<.007). Post hoc analyses revealed significant increases in Brain Integration Scale scores for Immediate-start students but decreases in Delayed-start students; significant reductions in sleepiness in Immediate-start students with no change in Delayed-start students; and no changes in habituation rates in Immediate-start students, but significant increases in Delayed-start students. These data support the value of TM practice for college students.

Int J Psychophysiol. 2009 Feb;71(2):170-6. Travis F, Haaga DA, Hagelin J, Tanner M, Nidich S, Gaylord-King C, Grosswald S, Rainforth M, Schneider RH. Center for the Brain, Consciousness and Cognition, Maharishi University of Management, 1000 North 4th Street, Fairfield, IA 52557, USA. ftravis@mum.edu

Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain syndrome, is often accompanied by psychological distress and increased basal sympathetic tone. In a previous report it was shown that mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) reduced depressive symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia with gains maintained at two months follow-up (Sephton et al., Arthr Rheum 57:77-85, 2007). This second study explores the effects of MBSR on basal sympathetic (SNS) activation among women with fibromyalgia. Methods Participants (n = 24) responded to a television news appearance, newspaper, and radio advertisements. Effects on anxiety, depressive symptoms, and SNS activation measures were tested before and after MBSR using a within-subjects design. Results The MBSR treatment significantly reduced basal electrodermal (skin conductance level; SCL) activity (t = 3.298, p = .005) and SCL activity during meditation (t = 4.389, p = .001), consistent with reduced SNS activation. Conclusions In this small sample, basal SNS activity was reduced following MBSR treatment. Future studies should assess how MBSR may help reduce negative psychological symptoms and attenuate SNS activation in fibromyalgia. Further clarification of psychological and physiological responses associated with fibromyalgia may lead to more beneficial treatment.

J Clin Psychol Med Settings. 2009 Mar 10. Lush E, Salmon P, Floyd A, Studts JL, Weissbecker I, Sephton SE. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, 2301 South Third Street, Life Sciences Building, Suite 317, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA.

Extensive practice involving sustained attention can lead to changes in brain structure. Here, we report evidence of structural differences in the lower brainstem of participants engaged in the long-term practice of meditation. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we observed higher gray matter density in lower brain stem regions of experienced meditators compared with age-matched nonmeditators. Our findings show that long-term practitioners of meditation have structural differences in brainstem regions concerned with cardiorespiratory control. This could account for some of the cardiorespiratory parasympathetic effects and traits, as well as the cognitive, emotional, and immunoreactive impact reported in several studies of different meditation practices.

Neuroreport. 2009 Jan 28;20(2):170-4. Vestergaard-Poulsen P, van Beek M, Skewes J, Bjarkam CR, Stubberup M, Bertelsen J, Roepstorff A. Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. peterv@pet.auh.dk

Extensive practice involving sustained attention can lead to changes in brain structure. Here, we report evidence of structural differences in the lower brainstem of participants engaged in the long-term practice of meditation. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we observed higher gray matter density in lower brain stem regions of experienced meditators compared with age-matched nonmeditators. Our findings show that long-term practitioners of meditation have structural differences in brainstem regions concerned with cardiorespiratory control. This could account for some of the cardiorespiratory parasympathetic effects and traits, as well as the cognitive, emotional, and immunoreactive impact reported in several studies of different meditation practices.

Neuroreport. 2009 Jan 28;20(2):170-4. Vestergaard-Poulsen P, van Beek M, Skewes J, Bjarkam CR, Stubberup M, Bertelsen J, Roepstorff A. Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. peterv@pet.auh.dk

The cardiac and respiratory systems can be viewed as two self-sustained oscillators with various interactions between them. In this study, the cardiorespiratory phase synchronization (CRPS) quantified by synchrogram was investigated to explore the phase synchronization between these two systems. The synchrogram scheme was applied to electrocardiogram (ECG) and respiration signals. Particular focus was the distinct cardiac-respiratory regulation phenomena intervened by inward-attention meditation and normal relaxation. Four synchronization parameters were measured: frequency ratio, lasting length, number of epochs, and total length. The results showed that normal rest resulted in much weaker CRPS. Statistical analysis reveals that the number of synchronous epochs and the total synchronization length significantly increase (p=0.024 and 0.034 respectively) during meditation. Furthermore, a predominance of 4:1 and 5:1 rhythm-ratio synchronizations was observed during meditation. Consequently, this study concludes that CRPS can be enhanced during meditation, compared with normal relaxation, and reveals a predominance of specific frequency ratios.

Int J Cardiol. 2009 Jan 13. Wu SD, Lo PC. Department of Electrical and Control Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan, ROC.

This study investigated the link between meditation, self-reported mindfulness and cognitive flexibility as well as other attentional functions. It compared a group of meditators experienced in mindfulness meditation with a meditation-naïve control group on measures of Stroop interference and the "d2-concentration and endurance test". Overall the results suggest that attentional performance and cognitive flexibility are positively related to meditation practice and levels of mindfulness. Meditators performed significantly better than non-meditators on all measures of attention. Furthermore, self-reported mindfulness was higher in meditators than non-meditators and correlations with all attention measures were of moderate to high strength. This pattern of results suggests that mindfulness is intimately linked to improvements of attentional functions and cognitive flexibility. The relevance of these findings for mental balance and well-being are discussed.

Conscious Cogn. 2009 Mar;18(1):176-86. Moore A, Malinowski P. Liverpool John Moores University, School of Psychology, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

It was hypothesized that participation in a psychosocial intervention incorporating meditation, social support, positive thinking, and a low-fat, vegetarian diet would have beneficial effects on mood, coping, and quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients. This article describes the sociodemographic, medical, and psychological characteristics of participants in a psychosocial intervention designed for cancer patients. It also describes program impact in terms of Profile of Mood States, Mini-Mental Adjustment to Cancer, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy. Compliance with program recommendations for 3 months and effects on adjustment were also explored. Improvements in all measures were found at program completion, with spiritual well-being particularly linked to improvement in QOL. The results suggest that the program has significant beneficial effects on adjustment but that these may not be fully maintained at follow-up, possibly because of difficulty in incorporating program recommendations into everyday life, increasing disease severity, and lack of accountability.

Integr Cancer Ther. 2009 Mar;8(1):47-55. Reavley N, Pallant JF, Sali A. Centre for Rheumatic Diseases, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. nreavley@unimelb.edu.au.

Mindfulness is associated with low levels of neuroticism, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, as well as high levels of self-esteem and satisfaction with life (Brown & Ryan, 2003). As part of a 3-month randomized waitlist-controlled trial of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program on university students (N=295), we examined the impact of TM practice on mindfulness as measured by the Kentucky Inventory of Mindfulness Skills (KIMS; Baer, Smith, & Allen, 2004). A repeated measures ANOVA on total KIMS scores showed a significant timextreatment interaction, with the TM participants reporting greater increases in mindfulness than the waitlist participants. All KIMS subscales were positively intercorrelated at pretreatment, and there were no differences over time or as a function of treatment condition in subscale intercorrelations. Therefore, previously published findings of a positive correlation between subscales measuring the skills of observing and accepting-without-judgment one's inner experiences only among those with meditation experience may have reflected a self-selection effect rather than a change in the relation of these mindfulness components resulting directly from meditation practice. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 65: 1-16, 2009.

J Clin Psychol. 2009 Feb 24. Tanner MA, Travis F, Gaylord-King C, Haaga DA, Grosswald S, Schneider RH. American University.

Breast cancer survivors have limited options for the treatment of hot flashes and related symptoms. Further, therapies widely used to prevent recurrence in survivors, such as tamoxifen, tend to induce or exacerbate menopausal symptoms. The aim of this preliminary, randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of a yoga intervention on menopausal symptoms in a sample of survivors of early-stage breast cancer (stages IA-IIB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-seven disease-free women experiencing hot flashes were randomized to the 8-week Yoga of Awareness program (gentle yoga poses, meditation, and breathing exercises) or to wait-list control. The primary outcome was daily reports of hot flashes collected at baseline, posttreatment, and 3 months after treatment via an interactive telephone system. Data were analyzed by intention to treat. MAIN RESULTS: At posttreatment, women who received the yoga program showed significantly greater improvements relative to the control condition in hot-flash frequency, severity, and total scores and in levels of joint pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, symptom-related bother, and vigor. At 3 months follow-up, patients maintained their treatment gains in hot flashes, joint pain, fatigue, symptom-related bother, and vigor and showed additional significant gains in negative mood, relaxation, and acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: This pilot study provides promising support for the beneficial effects of a comprehensive yoga program for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms in early-stage breast cancer survivors.

Support Care Cancer. 2009 Feb 12. Carson JW, Carson KM, Porter LS, Keefe FJ, Seewaldt VL. Department of Anesthesiology and Peri-operative Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd., UHS, Portland, OR, 97239, USA, carsonja@ohsu.edu.

This paper integrates some Buddhist moral values, attitudes and self-cultivation techniques into a discussion of the ethics of cognitive enhancement technologies - in particular, pharmaceutical enhancements. Many Buddhists utilize meditation techniques that are both integral to their practice and are believed to enhance the cognitive and affective states of experienced practitioners.

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Transcendental Meditation is a mental practice to put the body and mind into a state of relaxation and rest. The method was shown to reduce anxiety and stress in previous reports. This study investigates its potential benefits in enhancing mental health of an adult Muslim population. METHODS: A before-after clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of a 12-week meditation course on mental health of participants who were enrolled into the study by random sampling. 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was administered on two occasions in conjunction with a background data sheet.

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This study explores satisfaction and changes in well-being in cancer patients following mindfulness-based stress reduction training.

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To investigate pain perception and the potential analgesic effects of mindful states in experienced Zen meditators. Methods: Highly trained Zen meditators (n = 13; >1000 hours of practice) and age/gender-matched control volunteers (n = 13) received individually adjusted thermal stimuli to elicit moderate pain on the calf.

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This pilot study examined the effects of a manualized meditation intervention (called Inner Resources) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety symptoms among 20 African American and Caucasian mental health workers in New Orleans beginning 10 weeks after Hurricane Katrina. They participated in a 4-hour workshop followed by an 8-week home study program. Complete follow-up data were available for 15 participants. Results of intention-to-treat analyses indicated that participants' PTSD and anxiety symptoms significantly decreased over the 8 weeks of the intervention; these improvements were significantly correlated with the total number of minutes of daily meditation practice. The majority of participants reported good treatment adherence and improvements in well-being. These findings suggest that meditation may be a feasible, acceptable, and effective postdisaster intervention.

J Trauma Stress. 2008 Oct;21(5):497-500. Waelde LC, Uddo M, Marquett R, Ropelato M, Freightman S, Pardo A, Salazar J. Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA. lwaelde@pgsp.edu

Extensive practice involving sustained attention can lead to changes in brain structure. Here, we report evidence of structural differences in the lower brainstem of participants engaged in the long-term practice of meditation. Using magnetic resonance imaging, we observed higher gray matter density in lower brain stem regions of experienced meditators compared with age-matched nonmeditators. Our findings show that long-term practitioners of meditation have structural differences in brainstem regions concerned with cardiorespiratory control. This could account for some of the cardiorespiratory parasympathetic effects and traits, as well as the cognitive, emotional, and immunoreactive impact reported in several studies of different meditation practices.

Neuroreport. 2008 Dec 19. Vestergaard-Poulsen P, van Beek M, Skewes J, Bjarkam CR, Stubberup M, Bertelsen J, Roepstorff A. Center for Functionally Integrative Neuroscience Institute of Anatomy cInstitute of Anthropology, Archaeology and Linguistics, Aarhus University

dVaekstcenteret, Nr. Snede, Denmark.

A Web-based survey was conducted to study the religious and health practices, medical history and psychological characteristics among Buddhist practitioners. This report describes the development, advertisement, administration and preliminary results of the survey. Over 1200 Buddhist practitioners responded.

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Meditation practices may impact physiological pathways that are modulated by stress and relevant to disease. While much attention has been paid to meditation practices that emphasize calming the mind, improving focused attention, or developing mindfulness, less is known about meditation practices that foster compassion.

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Cancer-related cognitive impairment has been acknowledged as a substantial limiting factor in quality of life among cancer patients and survivors. In addition to deficits on behavioral measures, abnormalities in neurologic structure and function have been reported. In this paper, we review findings from the literature on cognitive impairment and cancer, potential interventions, meditation and cognitive function, and meditation and cancer.

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An emerging body of evidence has shown the therapeutic effect of both mindful and non-mindful physical exercises on the treatment of depression. The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of mindful and non-mindful physical exercises as an intervention in managing depression or depressive symptoms based on a systematic literature review.

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Phenomenon of the heart rate variability (HRV) during various meditation techniques has been reported. However, most of these techniques emphasized the skill of slow breathing (<0.15 Hz). This paper reports our study on HRV during meditation which emphasizes inward attention. Inward attention has been an important approach for the Zen-meditation practitioners to enter into transcendental consciousness.

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Recent neuroimaging studies have identified a set of brain regions that are metabolically active during wakeful rest and consistently deactivate in a variety the performance of demanding tasks. This "default network" has been functionally linked to the stream of thoughts occurring automatically in the absence of goal-directed activity and which constitutes an aspect of mental behavior specifically addressed by many meditative practices. Zen meditation, in particular, is traditionally associated with a mental state of full awareness but reduced conceptual content, to be attained via a disciplined regulation of attention and bodily posture. Using fMRI and a simplified meditative condition interspersed with a lexical decision task, we investigated the neural correlates of conceptual processing during meditation in regular Zen practitioners and matched control subjects. While behavioral performance did not differ between groups, Zen practitioners displayed a reduced duration of the neural response linked to conceptual processing in regions of the default network, suggesting that meditative training may foster the ability to control the automatic cascade of semantic associations triggered by a stimulus and, by extension, to voluntarily regulate the flow of spontaneous mentation.

PLoS ONE. 2008 Sep 3;3(9):e3083. Pagnoni G, Cekic M, Guo Y. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, Untied States of America. gpagnon@emory.edu