The Influence of Concentration/Meditation on Autonomic Nervous System Activity and the Innate Immune Response: A Case Study
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: In this case study, we describe the effects of a particular individual's concentration/meditation technique on autonomic nervous system activity and the innate immune response. The study participant holds several world records with regard to tolerating extreme cold and claims that he can influence his autonomic nervous system and thereby his innate immune response. METHODS: The individual's ex vivo cytokine response (stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) was determined before and after an 80-minute full-body ice immersion during which the individual practiced his concentration/meditation technique. Furthermore, the individual's in vivo innate immune response was studied while practicing his concentration/mediation technique during human endotoxemia (intravenous administration of 2 ng/kg LPS). The results from the endotoxemia experiment were compared with a historical cohort of 112 individuals who participated in endotoxemia experiments in our institution. RESULTS: The ex vivo proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokine response was greatly attenuated by concentration/meditation during ice immersion, accompanied by high levels of cortisol. In the endotoxemia experiment, concentration/meditation resulted in increased circulating concentrations of catecholamines, and plasma cortisol concentrations were higher than in any of the previously studied participants. The individual's in vivo cytokine response and clinical symptoms after LPS administration were remarkably low compared with previously studied participants. CONCLUSIONS: The concentration/meditation technique used by this particular individual seems to evoke a controlled stress response. This response is characterized by sympathetic nervous system activation and subsequent catecholamine/cortisol release, which seems to attenuate the innate immune response.
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Some individuals have demonstrated voluntary and teachable control over functions usually believed to be purely physiological, such as sympathetic thermogenesis and inflammatory immune responses.
“Some individuals have conclusively demonstrated voluntary (Kox, 2012) and teachable (Kox et al., 2014) control over functions usually believed to be purely “physiological,” such as sympathetic thermogenesis and inflammatory immune responses.”
From Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy (2015) · cites this paper as Kox, 2012
Cites
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Wu, S.-D., & Lo, P.-C. (2008) · Biomedical Research · doi:10.2220/biomedres.29.245 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Mindfulness meditation for symptom reduction in fibromyalgia: psychophysiological correlates.
Lush, E., Salmon, P., Floyd, A., Studts, J. L., Weissbecker, I., & Sephton, S. E. (2009) · Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings · doi:10.1007/s10880-009-9153-z · Cited by 112 · see citing works
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Somatic experiencing: using interoception and proprioception as core elements of trauma therapy
Payne, P., Levine, P. A., & Crane-Godreau, M. A. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00093 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
“Some individuals have conclusively demonstrated voluntary (Kox, 2012) and teachable (Kox et al.”
BackgroundLarouche, E., Hudon, C., & Goulet, S. (2015) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2014.05.058 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Vosselman, M. J., Vijgen, G. H. E. J., Kingma, B. R. M., Brans, B., & van Marken Lichtenbelt, W. D. (2014) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101653 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kox, M., Stoffels, M., Smeekens, S. P., van Alfen, N., Gomes, M., Eijsvogels, T. M. H., Hopman, M. T. E., van der Hoeven, J. G., Netea, M. G., & Pickkers, P.
- Affiliations
- Radboud University Medical Center (NL)
- Radboud University Nijmegen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Kox, Matthijs
- ORCID
- Venue
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Published
- 2012-06
- Volume
- 74
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 489-494
- ISSN
- 0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2397681905
- Cited by
- 53
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 3.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Radboud Repository (Radboud University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vagus Nerve Stimulation Research
- Keywords
- meditation, autonomic nervous system, innate immune response, cytokine response, endotoxemia, lipopolysaccharide, cold tolerance, cortisol, catecholamines, sympathetic activation, stress response, peripheral blood mononuclear cells
- MeSH terms
- Attention, Autonomic Nervous System, Body Temperature Regulation, Catecholamines, Electroencephalography, Heart Rate, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Ice, Immersion, Immunity, Innate, Leukocytes, Mononuclear, Lipopolysaccharides, Macrophages, Male, Middle Aged, Sympathetic Nervous System, Cytokines, Meditation, Endotoxemia, Extreme Cold
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