SERUM HORMONAL CONCENTRATIONS FOLLOWING TRANSCENDENTAL-MEDITATION - POTENTIAL ROLE OF GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC-ACID

Transcendental meditation (TM) is a stylized form of physical and ment al relaxation which is associated with changes in the secretion and re lease of several pituitary hormones. The hormonal changes induced by T M mimic the effects of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma aminobuty ric acid (GABA). It is hypothesized that TM produces changes in pituit ary hormone secretion by enhancing hypothalamic GABAergic tone, and it s anxiolytic effects by promoting GABAergic tone in specific areas of the brain. This mechanism is similar to the effects of synthetic anxio lytic and tranquillizing agents such as benzodiazepines that bind to c omponents of the GABA-A (GABAA) receptor. TM, therefore, may produce r elaxation by enhancing the effects of an endogenous neurotransmitter a nalogous to the effects of endorphins in runners who reportedly experi ence a 'runner's high'.