title: Impact of Transcendental Meditation on cardiovascular function at rest and during acute stress in adolescents with high normal blood pressure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the impact of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program on cardiovascular (CV) reactivity in adolescents with high normal BP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five adolescents [34 African Americans (AAs), 1 Caucasian American (CA); ages 15-18 years] with resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) between the 85th and 95th percentile for their age and gender on three consecutive occasions, were randomly assigned to either TM (n=17) or health education control (CTL, n=18) groups. The TM group engaged in 15-min meditation twice each day for 2 months including sessions during school lunch break. Primary CV outcome measures were changes in blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and cardiac output (CO) at rest and in response to two laboratory stressors, a simulated car driving stressor and an interpersonal social stressor interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The TM group exhibited greater decreases in resting SBP (P<.03) from pre- to postintervention, compared to the CTL group. The TM group exhibited greater decreases from pre- to postintervention in SBP, HR, and CO reactivity (P's<.03) to the simulated car driving stressor, and in SBP reactivity (P<.03) to the social stressor interview.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The TM program appears to have a beneficial impact upon CV functioning at rest and during acute laboratory stress in adolescents at-risk for hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Georgia Institute for Prevention of Human Diseases and Accidents, Building HS1640, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA 30912, USA. vbarnes@mail.mcg.edu
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Treiber
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation