Cardiac-Control Affecting Learning Through Mindfulness (CALM)
University of Southern California
Summary
Some types of meditation lead heart rate to become more steady as breathing quiets whereas others lead to large heart rate swings up and down (oscillations) as breathing becomes deeper and slower. The current study is designed to investigate how daily mindfulness practice with heart rate biofeedback during breathing in a pattern that either increases or decreases heart rate oscillation affect attention and memory and blood biomarkers associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 50–70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion criteria * Fluent in English * Black/African-American or White/European-American * Aged between 50-70 years old * Non-pregnant and non-menstruating (for at least the past year) * Have normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing * Have reliable access to wifi * Have an email account that you check regularly * Have a phone that receives text messages * Agree to provide blood and urine samples at two campus visits * Agree to devote up to 50 minutes daily to this study for 10 weeks as well as attend two campus visits Exclusion criteria * Have a disorder that would impede performi…
Interventions
- BehavioralDaily practice
Participants will be asked to undergo daily mindfulness practice while regulating (either increase or decrease) heart rate oscillation.
Location
- University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California