Exploring Oxytocin Response to Meditative Movement

This pilot study is designed to test effects of a single session of meditative movement (Tai Chi Easy) on older adults' blood pressure, perceptions of connection, mood, and oxytocin levels.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Hypertension
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Tai Chi Easy

Detailed Description

Endogenous oxytocin (the "cuddle hormone") is associated with lowering blood pressure (BP), suggesting that finding ways to increase oxytocin even in the absence of social connection, may be beneficial. Meditative movement emphasizing breath, meditative state and flow-inducing movements holds potential for reducing BP, improving mood and releasing oxytocin. In a single-group pilot study we exposed 21 OAs with mild-moderate hypertension to a 50-minute "Tai Chi Easy (TCE)" (simplified Tai Chi/Qigong) session, collecting BP, saliva samples for oxytocin, and psychosocial measures (connection, mood) pre/post intervention.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 21
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Arizona
    • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85004
      • Arizona State University Downtown Campus
    • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85005
      • Arizona State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 51 years to 76 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 55-80 --BP above 120/80 -

Exclusion Criteria:

• having a neurologic disorder such as Parkinson's, seizure disorder, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease
• answered "yes" to one or more questions on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q). The PAR-Q is a seven-question assessment that determines one's readiness, safety and ability to engage in physical activity and is safely validated for older adults

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Qigong/Tai Chi Intervention; Tai chi and Qigong combined into a simplified, standard practice, "Tai Chi Easy"	Behavioral: Tai Chi Easy; A meditative movement practice that includes simple qigong movement/breath practices and single, repeated tai chi movements taught to generate a meditative state and flow; Other Names: Qigong/Tai Chi; taiji

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Blood Pressure	Using blood pressure cuff, conducting two consecutive readings of systolic and diastolic	Change from baseline (pre-intervention) blood pressure to immediately after the 50-minute intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Profile of Mood States; Short Form	Using only subscales for depression and tension, 14 items with response format 0-4, reporting mean of responses, range 0-4 with higher scores indicating higher levels of depression and tension.	Change from pre-intervention mood to immediately post-50-minute intervention point
Change in perception of Connection (this is not a published scale, no formal name, created for this study)	Two items assessing perception of connection with others and connection with self, score range	Change from pre-intervention to immediately after the 50-minute intervention
Change in Salivary Oxytocin	Saliva collection pre and post-intervention	Change from pre-intervention to immediately after the 50-minute intervention

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
The De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale	6 items each scored either 0 (not at all) 1 (somewhat lonely) or 2 (more lonely), score is computed as a mean across items, range 0-6 with higher scores indicating more loneliness	pre-intervention only
Flow State Scale	Used to assess perceptions of the experience of flow while performing the Tai Chi Easy intervention. 36 items, Score range 36-80, high scores indicate greater sense of flow.	immediately after the intervention
Meditative Movement Inventory	Scales that assess the experience of meditative state and breath focus during intervention, 11 items, score range 11-66 (or reported as a mean of the scores on the scale, then 1-6 range), with higher numbers indicating less breath focus and meditative state.	immediately after the intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Arizona State University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Linda K Larkey, PhD, Arizona State University

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Larkey LK, James T, Han S, James DL. Pilot study of Qigong/Tai Chi Easy acute effects of meditative movement, breath focus and "flow" on blood pressure, mood and oxytocin in older adults. Complement Ther Med. 2023 Mar;72:102918. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2023.102918. Epub 2023 Jan 7.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 30, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 31, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): January 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 25, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 15, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): November 18, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 11, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 8, 2023
• Last Verified: September 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Hypertension
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00006571

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Will publish with indication that IPD data that is de-identified is available upon request.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Data will be available after study results are published and for 5 years after.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Requests from active researchers with current positions in research institutions will be reviewed by PI
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No