Aging
Conditions
Keywords
Stress, Mindfulness, Meditation
Brief summary
The study purpose is to evaluate efficacy of a mindfulness training intervention and learn about cognitive and physiological markers of stress.
Detailed description
Subjects will first undergo a phone screening, and if eligible, they will complete three study visits at Week 1, Week 8, and Week 15. The study visits involve at-home surveys, voice recordings, physical measures (height, weight, waist-to-hip ratio, and blood pressure), EEG recordings (including recordings of electrodermal activity and heart rate variability), computer tasks, in-lab saliva collection, overnight urine collection, 2-day saliva collection at bed waking, 30 minutes post-waking, afternoon, and bedtime, and a small handheld device that randomly administers eight short assessments in the subjects' natural environment. Subjects will be randomized to receive a 6-week mindfulness meditation course either between the first and second study visits or between the second and third study visits. Participants who receive training during the first and second visits will continue meditating until the third visit. The one-on-one instruction occurs once a week for 1 ½ hours, and participants are asked to listen to guided meditations and do other mindfulness-based tasks on a daily basis between sessions.
Interventions
One-on-one mindfulness meditation training, 6 weeks, 1 1/2 hour training once per week, 30-45 min at-home practice per day.
Sponsors
Oregon Health and Science University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
50 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Ages 50-85 * Good General Health * Experiencing Stress * No current meditation practice * English speaking
Exclusion criteria
* Cognitive Impairment * Neurological Disease * Major Untreated Depression
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Changes in Physiological Markers of Stress | Baseline (Week 1) and Visit 2 (Week 8) | Measure changes in blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, neurological reaction time to visual stimuli, urine, saliva, waist-to-hip ratio, weight, and electrodermal response. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Changes | Baseline (Week 1) and Visit 2 (Week 8) | In-lab cognitive tests measure attention and memory. |
| Changes in self-reported measures of stress | Baseline (Week 1) and Visit 2 (Week 8) | A series of questionnaires measure different facets of perceived quality of life and stress |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed