Sadhasivam Senthilkumar, Alankar Suresh, Maturi Raj, Vishnubhotla Ramana V, Mudigonda Mayur, Pawale Dhanashri, Narayanan Santhosshi, Hariri Sepideh, Ram Chithra, Chang Tracy, Renschler Janelle, Eckert George, Subramaniam Balachundhar
Department of Anesthesia, Indiana University School of Medicine, 1130 West Michigan St., Fesler Hall 204, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
University of Louisville, 201 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020 Jun 5;2020:8438272. doi: 10.1155/2020/8438272. eCollection 2020.
Anxiety and depression are common in the modern world, and there is growing demand for alternative therapies such as meditation. Meditation can decrease perceived stress and increase general well-being, although the physiological mechanism is not well-characterized. Endocannabinoids (eCBs), lipid mediators associated with enhanced mood and reduced anxiety/depression, have not been previously studied as biomarkers of meditation effects. Our aim was to assess biomarkers (eCBs and brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF]) and psychological parameters after a meditation retreat.
This was an observational pilot study of adults before and after the 4-day Isha Yoga Bhava Spandana Program retreat. Participants completed online surveys (before and after retreat, and 1 month later) to assess anxiety, depression, focus, well-being, and happiness through validated psychological scales. Voluntary blood sampling for biomarker studies was done before and within a day after the retreat. The biomarkers anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), 1-arachidonoylglycerol (1-AG), docosatetraenoylethanolamide (DEA), oleoylethanolamide (OLA), and BDNF were evaluated. Primary outcomes were changes in psychological scales, as well as changes in eCBs and BDNF.
Depression and anxiety scores decreased while focus, happiness, and positive well-being scores increased immediately after retreat from their baseline values ( < 0.001). All improvements were sustained 1 month after BSP. All major eCBs including anandamide, 2-AG, 1-AG, DEA, and BDNF increased after meditation by > 70% ( < 0.001). Increases of ≥20% in anandamide, 2-AG, 1-AG, and total AG levels after meditation from the baseline had weak correlations with changes in happiness and well-being.
A short meditation experience improved focus, happiness, and positive well-being and reduced depression and anxiety in participants for at least 1 month. Participants had increased blood eCBs and BDNF, suggesting a role for these biomarkers in the underlying mechanism of meditation. Meditation is a simple, organic, and effective way to improve well-being and reduce depression and anxiety.
焦虑和抑郁在现代社会很常见，对冥想等替代疗法的需求也在不断增加。冥想可以减轻感知到的压力并提高总体幸福感，尽管其生理机制尚未完全明确。内源性大麻素（eCBs）是与情绪改善和焦虑/抑郁减轻相关的脂质介质，此前尚未作为冥想效果的生物标志物进行研究。我们的目的是评估一次冥想静修后的生物标志物（eCBs和脑源性神经营养因子[BDNF]）以及心理参数。
这是一项针对成年人在为期4天的Isha瑜伽Bhava Spandana课程静修前后的观察性试点研究。参与者完成在线调查（静修前后以及1个月后），通过经过验证的心理量表评估焦虑、抑郁、专注力、幸福感和快乐感。在静修前和静修后一天内进行自愿性血液采样以进行生物标志物研究。评估了生物标志物花生四烯乙醇胺、2-花生四烯酸甘油酯（2-AG）、1-花生四烯酸甘油酯（1-AG）、二十二碳四烯酰乙醇胺（DEA）、油酰乙醇胺（OLA）和BDNF。主要结局是心理量表的变化以及eCBs和BDNF的变化。
静修后，抑郁和焦虑评分降低，而专注力、快乐感和积极幸福感评分从基线值立即升高（<0.001）。所有改善在BSP后1个月仍持续存在。包括花生四烯乙醇胺、2-AG、1-AG、DEA和BDNF在内的所有主要eCBs在冥想后增加了>70%（<0.001）。冥想后花生四烯乙醇胺、2-AG、1-AG和总AG水平相对于基线增加≥20%与快乐感和幸福感的变化存在弱相关性。
一次短暂的冥想体验改善了参与者的专注力、快乐感和积极幸福感，并减轻了抑郁和焦虑，至少持续1个月。参与者血液中的eCBs和BDNF增加，表明这些生物标志物在冥想潜在机制中发挥作用。冥想是一种改善幸福感以及减轻抑郁和焦虑的简单、自然且有效的方法。
