Researchers look at the effects of meditation on early cognitive impairment

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are examining the efficacy of meditation on early cognitive impairment. Once the new study is finished, the results could help put lingering questions to rest as to whether or not stress-reducing techniques and mind exercises can lessen or even prevent cognitive decline.

This is the first study at the university’s new “Center for Spirituality and the Mind,” which evolved out of work started in Penn’s Department of Radiology to embrace and encourage researchers from the fields of social work, nursing, bioethics, pastoral care, medicine and religious studies to expand their knowledge of how spirituality may affect the brain.

Andrew Newberg, MD, associate professor of Radiology, Psychiatry and Religious Studies, and director of the Center’s investigations, as well as Principal Investigator of this pilot study, explained that the team will be “looking at patients with mild cognitive impairment or symptoms of early Alzheimer’s disease. We’ll combine their meditation with brain imaging over a period of time to see if meditation improves cognitive function and is associated with actual change in the brain’s activity levels. Specifically, we’ll be looking for decreased activity in specific areas of the brain.”

The process of dementia causes a decreased function of neurons in the brain and can result in problems with memory, visual-spatial tasks, and handling emotional issues. As it worsens in a patient, it can eventually lead to the need for constant care.

In this study, researchers want to observe the early symptoms of dementia. Subjects participating in the study will learn a particular kind of meditation, called Kirtan Kriya, which is believed to be one of the most fundamental types of meditation practice. It’s a repeated chanting of sounds and finger movements designed to help the mind focus and become sharper. Study participants will perform this meditation exercise every day for eight weeks to see if this relaxation technique can alter the brain’s response to different tasks.

Newberg said, “This is a form of exercise for the brain which enables the brain to strengthen itself and battle the unknown processes working to weaken it. We want to keep the mind sharp and work that muscle. We might see improvements in baseline activity levels in the brain and these patients might be able to activate their brain in a more robust way in particular. So if this kind of meditation is successful in helping patients with neurological problems, it could then someday become a low-cost additional treatment to current therapy.”

Researchers will utilize SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) imaging to capture the baseline image of the brain as well as the brain’s activity during meditation. Images will be taken at the beginning of the study and then after the program.

The study is currently enrolling participants and is funded by a grant from the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation. ARPF President, Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, is a known expert in the area of meditation and brain function.

© Copyright 2007 Insight Journal Online Magazine.

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