Multidimensional Analysis of Twin Sets During an Intensive Week-Long Meditation Retreat: A Pilot Study.
Juan P Zuniga-Hertz, Sierra Simpson, Ramamurthy Chitetti, Chang Francis Hsu, Han-Ping Huang, Alex Jinich-Diamant, Andrei V Chernov, Julie A Onton, Raphael Cuomo, Joe Dispenza, Dylan Davis, Leonardo Christov-Moore, Nicco Reggente, Wanjun Gu, Mitchell Kong, Jacqueline A Bonds, Jacqueline Maree, Tatum S Simonson, Andrew C Ahn, Michelle A Poirier, Tobias Moeller-Bertram, Hemal H Patel
Mindfulness January 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02584-x via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDuring 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.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Pilot study Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Twins |
| Intervention | Meditation |
| Duration | Week-long meditation retreat |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Gene expression Metabolomics Mind–body practices Quantitative electroencephalography qeeg Meditation research: meditation |
| Citations | 3 |
| Key finding | Twin pairs showed significant spectral power correlations in separate rooms and when only one twin meditated, and heart rate dynamics aligned among twin pairs but not unmatched pairs. |
Abstract
Meditation has long been known to promote health. We utilized a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the impact of mind-body interventions on the body in a twin cohort during a week-long meditation retreat. This study was designed to address individual changes controlling for intersubject trait variation and explore the role of genetic background on multi-omic factors during meditation. Transcriptomic analysis was carried out from whole blood samples, while metabolomic and biochemical studies were carried out in blood plasma. Quantitative electroencephalography studies, coupled with biometric analysis and molecular studies at multiple time points, were carried out in twins meditating together and in twins separated and simultaneously either meditating or listening to a documentary. Changes in gene expression, metabolites, and cytokines in blood plasma associated with specific meditative states showed patterns of change relative to the time point being assessed. Twin sets were similar in multiple domains before the start of the retreat, showed considerable divergence at the mid-point, and looked more similar by the end of the retreat. Twin pairs showed significant spectral power correlations in separate rooms and when only one twin meditated. These similarities were not observed in mismatched twin pairs. Heart rate dynamics assessments showed alignment among twin pairs, absent between unmatched pairs. To our knowledge, this pilot study is novel within the twin research paradigm and is a first step toward exploring the effects of meditation in twins. This study was not preregistered and was carried out under IRB protocol MED02#20211477. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12671-025-02584-x.