Browsing by Author "Vishnubhotla, Ramana"

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    Isha yoga practices, vegan diet, and participation in Samyama meditation retreat: impact on the gut microbiome & metabolome - a non-randomized trial
    (BMC, 2023-04-05) Raman, Maitreyi; Vishnubhotla, Ramana; Ramay, Hena R.; Gonçalves, Maria C. B.; Shin, Andrea S.; Pawale, Dhanashri; Subramaniam, Balachundhar; Sadhasivam, Senthilkumar; Radiology and Imaging Sciences, School of Medicine
    Background: Growing evidence suggests a role for gut bacteria and their metabolites in host-signaling responses along the gut-brain axis which may impact mental health. Meditation is increasingly utilized to combat stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. However, its impact on the microbiome remains unclear. This study observes the effects of preparation and participation in an advanced meditation program (Samyama) implemented with a vegan diet including 50% raw foods, on gut microbiome and metabolites profiles. Methods: There were 288 subjects for this study. Stool samples were collected at 3-time points for meditators and household controls. Meditators prepared for 2 months for the Samyama, incorporating daily yoga and meditation practices with a vegan diet including 50% raw foods. Subjects were requested to submit stool samples for 3 time points - 2 months before Samyama (T1), right before Samyama (T2), and 3 months following Samyama (T3). 16 s rRNA sequencing was used to study participants' microbiome. Alpha and beta diversities along with short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) were assessed. Metabolomics were performed on a mass spectrometer coupled to a UHLPC system and analyzed by El-MAVEN software. Results: Alpha diversity showed no significant differences between meditators and controls, while beta diversity showed significant changes (padj = 0.001) after Samyama in meditators' microbiota composition. After the preparation phase, changes in branched short-chain fatty acids, higher levels of iso-valerate (padj = 0.02) and iso-buytrate (padj = 0.019) were observed at T2 in meditators. Other metabolites were also observed to have changed in meditators at timepoint T2. Conclusion: This study examined the impact of an advanced meditation program combined with a vegan diet on the gut microbiome. There was an increase in beneficial bacteria even three months after the completion of the Samyama program. Further study is warranted to validate current observations and investigate the significance and mechanisms of action related to diet, meditation, and microbial composition and function, on psychological processes, including mood.
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    Large-scale genomic study reveals robust activation of the immune system following advanced Inner Engineering meditation retreat
    (National Academy of Science, 2021) Chandran, Vijayendran; Bermúdez, Mei-Ling; Koka, Mert; Chandran, Brindha; Pawale, Dhanashri; Vishnubhotla, Ramana; Alankar, Suresh; Maturi, Raj; Subramaniam, Balachundhar; Sadhasivam, Senthilkumar; Anesthesia, School of Medicine
    The positive impact of meditation on human well-being is well documented, yet its molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. We applied a comprehensive systems biology approach starting with whole-blood gene expression profiling combined with multilevel bioinformatic analyses to characterize the coexpression, transcriptional, and protein-protein interaction networks to identify a meditation-specific core network after an advanced 8-d Inner Engineering retreat program. We found the response to oxidative stress, detoxification, and cell cycle regulation pathways were down-regulated after meditation. Strikingly, 220 genes directly associated with immune response, including 68 genes related to interferon signaling, were up-regulated, with no significant expression changes in the inflammatory genes. This robust meditation-specific immune response network is significantly dysregulated in multiple sclerosis and severe COVID-19 patients. The work provides a foundation for understanding the effect of meditation and suggests that meditation as a behavioral intervention can voluntarily and nonpharmacologically improve the immune response for treating various conditions associated with excessive or persistent inflammation with a dampened immune system profile.
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    Single-Institution Comparative Study of MR-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy and Open Corpus Callosotomy
    (Elsevier, 2023-07) Ordaz, Josue D.; Vishnubhotla, Ramana; Alfonso, Anthony; Budnick, Hailey; Wen, Qiuting; Radhakrishnan, Rupa; Raskin, Jeffrey; Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine
    Objective Open corpus callosotomy (CC) poses a higher risk of perioperative morbidity than does magnetic resonance–guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) for treatment of drop and generalized seizures without documented superiority. We present a single-institution comparison between open and MRgLITT CC. Methods A 2-year retrospective review was performed of patients who underwent open and MRgLITT CC (January 2019–January 2021). Demographics, surgical outcome data, hospital costs, and interhemispheric connectivity with diffusion tensor imaging were compared. Results The average age in years was 9.3 and 11.4 for CC (n = 4) and MRgLITT (n = 9), respectively. Preoperative drop seizure frequency was higher in CC (25 vs. 14.5 seizures/day; P = 0.59). At 10 months follow-up, the reduction in drop seizure frequency was better in open CC, but not statistically significant (93.8% vs. 64.3%; P = 0.21). The extent of CC ablation did not correlate with seizure reduction (Pearson coefficient = 0.09). An inverse correlation between interhemispheric connectivity change (diffusion tensor imaging analysis) and drop seizure frequency reduction was noted (Pearson coefficient = –0.97). Total hospital cost was significantly lower in MRgLITT ($67,754 vs. $107,111; P = 0.004), attributed to lower intensive care unit (1.1 vs. 4 days; P= 0.004) and total hospital stay (1.8 vs. 10.5 days; P = 0.0001). Postoperative hydrocephalus was present in 75% of patients in the CC group compared with zero in the MRgLITT group. Conclusions Our middle-volume single-institution experience shows the safety, efficacy, and cost-effective benefit of MRgLITT compared with the traditional CC with therapeutic equipoise. This study is limited by the number of patients and, hence, further patient enrollment or multicenter study is warranted.