Neural mechanisms of mindfulness: reduced neural reactivity to social-evaluative threat accounts for mindfulness intervention effects on inflammatory gene expression
Blades RB, Boyle CC, Eisenberger NI, Cole SW, Korecki JRT, Fuligni AJ, Bower JE. · Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2026 · Randomized controlled trial; registered single-blind (outcome assessors)
Original publication · Original publication
Recorded summary
After six weeks, the meditation group showed lower neural responses to social-evaluative threat and lower inferred NF-κB activity. The gene-regulation difference lost statistical significance after adjustment for the neural-response change.
Recorded limitations
A small waitlist-controlled trial. Promoter analysis estimates transcription-factor activity; the analysis does not establish a causal neural mechanism.
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
- Randomized controlled trial; registered single-blind (outcome assessors)
- assessment
- basis
- The linked trial register specifies masked outcome assessors; participants knew their allocation.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284 · https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05304052
- assessed At
- 2026-10-23
- registered Masking Basis
- true
- category
- single-blind-rct
- peer Reviewed
- true
- trust Factor
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- single
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- The linked trial register specifies masked outcome assessors; participants knew their allocation.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284 · https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05304052
- 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
- Mindful Awareness Practices
- comparator
- Waitlist
- sample
- 49 young adults; 26 meditation, 23 control
- measurement
- Blood leukocytes; genome-wide RNA and fMRI
- timing
- 6 weeks
- trial Id
- NCT05304052
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- pathways
NF-κB
- evidence Type
- RNA expression
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- review Scope
- Publication abstract and selected full-text methods; Jadad assessment pending
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-41534731
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- pmid
- 41534731
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 1
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- citations By Collection
- language
- 1
Complete approved library record
- id
- pmid-41534731
- aliases
- None recorded
- title
- Neural mechanisms of mindfulness: reduced neural reactivity to social-evaluative threat accounts for mindfulness intervention effects on inflammatory gene expression
- journal
- Brain, behavior, and immunity
- neurotransmitters
- None recorded
- year
- 2026
- authors
- Blades RB, Boyle CC, Eisenberger NI, Cole SW, Korecki JRT, Fuligni AJ, Bower JE.
- design
- Randomized controlled trial; registered single-blind (outcome assessors)
- identity Conflict
- Not recorded
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- pmid
- 41534731
- urls
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- collections
language
- categories
Gene expression
- targets
- None recorded
- priority
- 0
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- After six weeks, the meditation group showed lower neural responses to social-evaluative threat and lower inferred NF-κB activity. The gene-regulation difference lost statistical significance after adjustment for the neural-response change.
- limitation
- A small waitlist-controlled trial. Promoter analysis estimates transcription-factor activity; the analysis does not establish a causal neural mechanism.
- citation Count
- 1
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 1
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- study Design Assessment
- basis
- The linked trial register specifies masked outcome assessors; participants knew their allocation.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284 · https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05304052
- assessed At
- 2026-10-23
- registered Masking Basis
- true
- category
- single-blind-rct
- peer Reviewed
- true
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- single
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- The linked trial register specifies masked outcome assessors; participants knew their allocation.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284 · https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05304052
- review Scope
- Existing publication-specific assessments and bibliographic indexing; no blanket full-text appraisal.
- assessed At
- 2026-10-27
- citations By Collection
- language
- 1
- topics
- key
- language:mindfulness-rna
- title
- Mindfulness interventions and gene expression
- collection
- language
- trust Score
- 2
- journal Key
- brainbehaviorandimmunity
- journal Label
- Brain, behavior, and immunity
- chapter Entries
- id
- language-mindfulness-rna-pmid-41534731
- record Id
- pmid-41534731
- title
- Neural mechanisms of mindfulness: reduced neural reactivity to social-evaluative threat accounts for mindfulness intervention effects on inflammatory gene expression
- journal
- Brain, behavior, and immunity
- year
- 2026
- authors
- Blades RB, Boyle CC, Eisenberger NI, Cole SW, Korecki JRT, Fuligni AJ, Bower JE.
- design
- Randomized controlled trial; registered single-blind (outcome assessors)
- urls
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- quotes
- None recorded
- summary
- After six weeks, the meditation group showed lower neural responses to social-evaluative threat and lower inferred NF-κB activity. The gene-regulation difference lost statistical significance after adjustment for the neural-response change.
- limitation
- A small waitlist-controlled trial. Promoter analysis estimates transcription-factor activity; the analysis does not establish a causal neural mechanism.
- citation Count
- 1
- citation Snapshot
- count
- 1
- source
- Crossref
- retrieved At
- 2026-10-23
- url
- https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- study Design Assessment
- basis
- The linked trial register specifies masked outcome assessors; participants knew their allocation.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284 · https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05304052
- assessed At
- 2026-10-23
- registered Masking Basis
- true
- category
- single-blind-rct
- peer Reviewed
- true
- source Pages
- None recorded
- targets
- None recorded
- categories
Gene expression
- doi
- 10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- pmid
- 41534731
- evidence
- intervention
- Mindful Awareness Practices
- comparator
- Waitlist
- sample
- 49 young adults; 26 meditation, 23 control
- measurement
- Blood leukocytes; genome-wide RNA and fMRI
- timing
- 6 weeks
- trial Id
- NCT05304052
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- pathways
NF-κB
- evidence Type
- RNA expression
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- review Scope
- Publication abstract and selected full-text methods; Jadad assessment pending
- paper Trust Assessment
- score
- 2
- scope
- Paper
- status
- assessed
- randomized Controlled Trial
- true
- blinding
- single
- peer Reviewed
- true
- basis
- The linked trial register specifies masked outcome assessors; participants knew their allocation.
- sources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284 · https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05304052
- 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
- Mindful Awareness Practices
- comparator
- Waitlist
- sample
- 49 young adults; 26 meditation, 23 control
- measurement
- Blood leukocytes; genome-wide RNA and fMRI
- timing
- 6 weeks
- trial Id
- NCT05304052
- measured Genes
- None recorded
- pathways
NF-κB
- evidence Type
- RNA expression
- source URLs
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41534731/ · https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2026.106284
- checked At
- 2026-10-23
- review Scope
- Publication abstract and selected full-text methods; Jadad assessment pending
- 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