Sierra Simpson

Department of Anesthesiology, University of California, San Diego, Biomedical Sciences Building, Mail Code 0629, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093 - 0629 USA.

2 papers in the library · 7 citations · publishing 2025

Papers

Neural and molecular changes during a mind-body reconceptualization, meditation, and open label placebo healing intervention

Communications Biology November 6, 2025 Alex Jinich‐diamant, Sierra Simpson, Juan Pablo Zuniga-Hertz et al. 4 citations

A 7-day retreat combining meditation, reconceptualization, and open-label placebo healing rituals produced broad short-term neural and molecular changes in 20 healthy participants. Meditation reduced functional integration in the default mode and salience networks and decreased whole-brain modularity. Post-intervention plasma increased neurite outgrowth, enhanced glycolytic metabolism, and induced upregulation of BDNF, inflammatory, anti-inflammatory, and endogenous opioid pathways, while modulating tryptophan metabolism and neurotransmission-associated exosome miRNA transcripts. These changes suggest enhanced neuroplasticity, metabolic reprogramming, and modulation of functional cell signaling pathways, highlighting the potential of mind-body techniques to affect neural circuits and pathways important to health and well-being.

DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-09088-3 Full text Meditation Default mode network Neuroplasticity Neurite +13

Multidimensional Analysis of Twin Sets During an Intensive Week-Long Meditation Retreat: A Pilot Study.

Mindfulness January 1, 2025 Juan P Zuniga-Hertz, Sierra Simpson, Ramamurthy Chitetti et al. 3 citations

During a week-long meditation retreat, twins showed changes in gene expression, metabolites, and cytokines in blood plasma that varied with the timing of assessment. Twin pairs began the retreat with similar molecular and brain-activity profiles, diverged at the midpoint, and converged again by the end. Even when in separate rooms, twin pairs exhibited significant correlations in brain-wave (spectral power) patterns, and heart rate dynamics aligned more closely in twin pairs than in unmatched pairs. These findings suggest that meditation may influence biological markers and that genetic background contributes to these responses.

DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02584-x Full text Gene expression Metabolomics Mind–body practices Quantitative electroencephalography qeeg +8