Compassion meditation practice optimizes inflammatory, endocrine and subjective distress responses
to a psychosocial laboratory stress challenge
. Trier Social Stress Test (TSST)-induced plasma interleukin
(IL)-6, plasma cortisol and subjective distress responses in high practice and low practice participants
challenged with the TSST prior to or after Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT). High practice and
low practice meditation groups challenged with the TSST before CBCT (Panels A – D) and after CBCT
(Panels E – H) were formed based on a median split of mean number of practice sessions per week.
Regardless of CBCT, challenge with the stressor increased plasma IL-6 (Panels A and E), plasma cortisol
(Panels B and F) and distress as measured by the Profile of Mood States (POMS) total score (Panels C and
G). In participants who underwent TSST challenge prior to CBCT, IL-6 (Panel A), cortisol (Panel B), and
Profile of Mood States (POMS) total score (Panel C), responses to the TSST did not differ between high and
low practice groups. In contrast, in participants who underwent TSST challenge after meditation training, IL-6
(Panel E) and POMS total score (Panel G), responses across the TSST procedure were reduced in high
practice participants compared to low practice participants. Of note, high and low practice participants with
training after the TSST showed comparable amounts of overall practice time compared to high and low
practice participants with training before the TSST (Panels D and H). (Reprinted with permission from Pace, T.
W. W., Negi, L. T., Sivilli, T. I., Issa, M. J., Cole, S. P., Adame, D. D., & Raison, C. L. (2010). Innate immune,
neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress do not predict subsequent compassion
meditation practice time.
Psychoneuroendocrinology, 35
(2), 310–315. Copyright 2010 Elsevier.)
244
Figure 3.
