Promise of Mindfulness-Based Interventions as Therapies to Prevent Cognitive Decline

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects 5 million United States citizens. Many authors have proposed that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have the potential to effectively prevent AD-associated pathology and symptomology. However, the fact that both meditation and AD are complex processes that involve a great number of biological pathways has made these phenomena particularly challenging to dissect. This review advocates the use of gene expression to investigate the mechanisms by which MBIs combat AD pathology. Methods: Searches were performed using Thomson Reuters Web of Science. Ultimately, 85 journal articles were selected for their content as it pertains to the purpose of this review. Summary: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) may provide reliable measures of cerebral gene expression. Profiling their gene expression has demonstrated that MBIs may produce gene expression changes in many of the same pathways (inflammation, cellular stress, proliferation, synaptic function) and often in the opposite direction of disease-related deregulation. While AD is marked by shortened telomeres resulting in genetic turmoil, meditation has been documented to exhibit a positive effect on telomere maintenance. A comprehensive gene expression investigation is invaluable to reveal relevant molecular mechanisms and provide the foundation for exploring the interaction between MBI and AD.