Transcendental Meditation practitioners show reduced expression of the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity
Walton KG, Wenuganen S, Cole SW. · Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2023 · Observational comparison; secondary analysis
Original publication · Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
Long-term TM practitioners had lower expression of the prespecified CTRA gene set, with inferred reductions in NF-κB and AP-1 activity and higher interferon-response activity.
Recorded limitations
A very small observational comparison and secondary analysis of existing data. It cannot establish causation or separate meditation from long-term lifestyle differences.
Evidence and provenance
Chapter Trust Factor uses a minimum of three distinct qualifying studies. Publication records retain their own evidence and assessment.
Study design and assessment
- design
- Observational comparison; secondary analysis
- assessment
- basis
- A nonrandomized comparison of long-term practitioners and controls; the analysis does not meet the blinded randomized-trial categories.
- sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- assessed At
- 2026-10-23
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- trust Factor
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- A nonrandomized comparison of long-term practitioners and controls; the analysis does not meet the blinded randomized-trial categories.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- evidence
- intervention
- Long-term Transcendental Meditation
- comparator
- Matched non-meditating controls
- sample
- 12 participants; approximately 38 years of practice in the meditation group
- measurement
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; RNA profiles
- timing
- Cross-sectional comparison
- trial Id
- Not recorded
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- pathways
CTRA · NF-κB · AP-1 · IRF
- evidence Type
- RNA expression
- source URLs
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- review Scope
- Publication abstract and selected full-text methods; Jadad assessment pending
- relationship Note
- Secondary analysis of previously published long-term TM transcription data; do not count as an independent cohort.
Topics and recorded topic scores
- key
- language:mindfulness-rna
- title
- Mindfulness interventions and gene expression
- collection
- language
- trust Score
- 2
Citation snapshot and identifiers
- id
- pmid-37560036
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- pmid
- 37560036
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 12
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- citations By Collection
- language
- 12
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-37560036
- publication Key
- Not recorded
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Transcendental Meditation practitioners show reduced expression of the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity
- journal
- Brain, behavior, & immunity - health
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- year
- 2023
- authors
- Walton KG, Wenuganen S, Cole SW.
- design
- Observational comparison; secondary analysis
- kind
- Journal article
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- pmid
- 37560036
- urls
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/
- collections
language
- categories
Gene expression
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 0
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- Long-term TM practitioners had lower expression of the prespecified CTRA gene set, with inferred reductions in NF-κB and AP-1 activity and higher interferon-response activity.
- limitation
- A very small observational comparison and secondary analysis of existing data. It cannot establish causation or separate meditation from long-term lifestyle differences.
- citation Count
- 12
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 12
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- study Design Assessment
- basis
- A nonrandomized comparison of long-term practitioners and controls; the analysis does not meet the blinded randomized-trial categories.
- sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- assessed At
- 2026-10-23
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- A nonrandomized comparison of long-term practitioners and controls; the analysis does not meet the blinded randomized-trial categories.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- language
- 12
- topics
- key
- language:mindfulness-rna
- title
- Mindfulness interventions and gene expression
- collection
- language
- trust Score
- 2
- journal Key
- brainbehaviorandimmunityhealth
- journal Label
- Brain, behavior, & immunity - health
- chapter Entries
- id
- language-mindfulness-rna-pmid-37560036
- record Id
- pmid-37560036
- title
- Transcendental Meditation practitioners show reduced expression of the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity
- journal
- Brain, behavior, & immunity - health
- year
- 2023
- authors
- Walton KG, Wenuganen S, Cole SW.
- design
- Observational comparison; secondary analysis
- urls
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672 · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- Long-term TM practitioners had lower expression of the prespecified CTRA gene set, with inferred reductions in NF-κB and AP-1 activity and higher interferon-response activity.
- limitation
- A very small observational comparison and secondary analysis of existing data. It cannot establish causation or separate meditation from long-term lifestyle differences.
- citation Count
- 12
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 12
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- study Design Assessment
- basis
- A nonrandomized comparison of long-term practitioners and controls; the analysis does not meet the blinded randomized-trial categories.
- sources
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- assessed At
- 2026-10-23
- registered Masking Basis
- false
- category
- peer-reviewed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- source Pages
- None recorded
- targets
- None recorded
- categories
Gene expression
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- pmid
- 37560036
- evidence
- intervention
- Long-term Transcendental Meditation
- comparator
- Matched non-meditating controls
- sample
- 12 participants; approximately 38 years of practice in the meditation group
- measurement
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; RNA profiles
- timing
- Cross-sectional comparison
- trial Id
- Not recorded
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- pathways
CTRA · NF-κB · AP-1 · IRF
- evidence Type
- RNA expression
- source URLs
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- review Scope
- Publication abstract and selected full-text methods; Jadad assessment pending
- relationship Note
- Secondary analysis of previously published long-term TM transcription data; do not count as an independent cohort.
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 1
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- false
- blinding
- not-confirmed
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- A nonrandomized comparison of long-term practitioners and controls; the analysis does not meet the blinded randomized-trial categories.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- collection
- language
- chapter Number
- 4
- topic Id
- mindfulness-rna
- topic Title
- Mindfulness interventions and gene expression
- trust Score
- 2
- evidence
- intervention
- Long-term Transcendental Meditation
- comparator
- Matched non-meditating controls
- sample
- 12 participants; approximately 38 years of practice in the meditation group
- measurement
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells; RNA profiles
- timing
- Cross-sectional comparison
- trial Id
- Not recorded
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- pathways
CTRA · NF-κB · AP-1 · IRF
- evidence Type
- RNA expression
- source URLs
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10407892/ · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37560036/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100672
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- review Scope
- Publication abstract and selected full-text methods; Jadad assessment pending
- relationship Note
- Secondary analysis of previously published long-term TM transcription data; do not count as an independent cohort.
- jadad
- status
- unassessed
- score
- Not recorded
- condition Evidence
- None recorded
- conditions
- None recorded
- topic Trust Scores
2
- full Text
- status
- not-indexed
- retrieval Available
- false