Effects Of Meditation On Early Cognitive
Impairment, University Of Pennsylvania
July 30, 2006
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are examining
the effectiveness of meditation on early cognitive impairment. Once this new
study is completed, the results could help answer lingering questions over
whether or not stress-reducing techniques and mind exercises can lessen or even
prevent cognitive decline. This is the first study at Penn's new "Center
for Spirituality and the Mind," which evolved from work initiated in Penn's
Department of Radiology, to embrace and encourage researchers from the fields of
medicine, pastoral care, religious studies, social work, nursing, and bioethics
to expand our knowledge of how spirituality may affect the human brain.
"We'll be looking at patients with mild cognitive impairment or symptoms of
early Alzheimer's disease," explains Andrew Newberg, MD, Assistant
Professor of Radiology, Psychiatry, and Religious Studies, who also directs the
Center's investigations and is Principal Investigator of this pilot study.
"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 dementia process 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 also eventually lead to the need for
round-the-clock care.
In this study, investigators want to look at the early symptoms of dementia.
Study participants will learn a particular kind of meditation, called Kirtan
Kriya, identified as 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
program every day for eight weeks to see if this relaxation technique can change
the brain's response to different tasks.
"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," Newberg adds. "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."
Newberg will use 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 eight-week program.
This study, which is now enrolling patients, is funded by a research grant from
the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation International. ARPFI
President, Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, is known for his expertise in the area of
meditation and brain function.
For more information on the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at PENN, go
on-line to: http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/radiology/CSM/index.html.
For more information on the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation
International, visit: http://www.AlzheimersPrevention.org
PENN Medicine is a $2.9 billion enterprise dedicated to the
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patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the
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Penn's School of Medicine is ranked #2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research
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ranking of top research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime
faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its
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and leaders of academic medicine.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System includes three hospitals, all of
which have received numerous national patient-care honors [Hospital of the
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