Large-scale genomic study reveals robust activation of the immune system following advanced Inner Engineering meditation retreat
Vijayendran Chandran, Mei-Ling Bermúdez, Mert Koka, Brindha Chandran, Dhanashri Pawale, Ramana Vishnubhotla, Suresh Alankar, Raj Maturi, Balachundhar Subramaniam, Senthilkumar Sadhasivam
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Dec 2021, 118 (51) e2110455118; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2110455118

Abstract
The positive impact of meditation on human well-being is well documented, yet its molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. We applied a comprehensive systems biology approach starting with whole-blood gene expression profiling combined with multilevel bioinformatic analyses to characterize the coexpression, transcriptional, and protein–protein interaction networks to identify a meditation-specific core network after an advanced 8-d Inner Engineering retreat program. We found the response to oxidative stress, detoxification, and cell cycle regulation pathways were down-regulated after meditation. Strikingly, 220 genes directly associated with immune response, including 68 genes related to interferon signaling, were up-regulated, with no significant expression changes in the inflammatory genes. This robust meditation-specific immune response network is significantly dysregulated in multiple sclerosis and severe COVID-19 patients. The work provides a foundation for understanding the effect of meditation and suggests that meditation as a behavioral intervention can voluntarily and nonpharmacologically improve the immune response for treating various conditions associated with excessive or persistent inflammation with a dampened immune system profile.