Daniel Muller
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Featured researches published by Daniel Muller.
Psychosomatic Medicine | 2003
Richard J. Davidson; Jon Kabat-Zinn; Jessica R. Schumacher; Melissa A. Rosenkranz; Daniel Muller; Saki Santorelli; Ferris Urbanowski; Anne Harrington; Katherine Bonus; John F. Sheridan
Objective: The underlying changes in biological processes that are associated with reported changes in mental and physical health in response to meditation have not been systematically explored. We performed a randomized, controlled study on the effects on brain and immune function of a well‐known and widely used 8‐week clinical training program in mindfulness meditation applied in a work environment with healthy employees. Methods: We measured brain electrical activity before and immediately after, and then 4 months after an 8‐week training program in mindfulness meditation. Twenty‐five subjects were tested in the meditation group. A wait‐list control group (N = 16) was tested at the same points in time as the meditators. At the end of the 8‐week period, subjects in both groups were vaccinated with influenza vaccine. Results: We report for the first time significant increases in left‐sided anterior activation, a pattern previously associated with positive affect, in the meditators compared with the nonmeditators. We also found significant increases in antibody titers to influenza vaccine among subjects in the meditation compared with those in the wait‐list control group. Finally, the magnitude of increase in left‐sided activation predicted the magnitude of antibody titer rise to the vaccine. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate that a short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. These findings suggest that meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways and underscore the need for additional research.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics | 2006
Carol D. Ryff; Gayle D. Love; Heather L. Urry; Daniel Muller; Melissa A. Rosenkranz; Elliot M. Friedman; Richard J. Davidson; Burton H. Singer
Background: Increasingly, researchers attend to both positive and negative aspects of mental health. Such distinctions call for clarification of whether psychological well-being and ill-being comprise opposite ends of a bipolar continuum, or are best construed as separate, independent dimensions of mental health. Biology can help resolve this query – bipolarity predicts ‘mirrored’ biological correlates (i.e. well-being and ill-being correlate similarly with biomarkers, but show opposite directional signs), whereas independence predicts ‘distinct’ biological correlates (i.e. well-being and ill-being have different biological signatures). Methods: Multiple aspects of psychological well-being (eudaimonic, hedonic) and ill-being (depression, anxiety, anger) were assessed in a sample of aging women (n = 135, mean age = 74) on whom diverse neuroendocrine (salivary cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, DHEA-S) and cardiovascular factors (weight, waist-hip ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, total/HDL cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin) were also measured. Results: Measures of psychological well-being and ill-being were significantly linked with numerous biomarkers, with some associations being more strongly evident for respondents aged 75+. Outcomes for seven biomarkers supported the distinct hypothesis, while findings for only two biomarkers supported the mirrored hypothesis. Conclusion: This research adds to the growing literature on how psychological well-being and mental maladjustment are instantiated in biology. Population-based inquiries and challenge studies constitute important future directions.
Journal of Neuroimmunology | 2008
Miroslav Backonja; Christopher L. Coe; Daniel Muller; Kathleen Schell
This study replicates and extends prior reports of abnormal cytokine levels in chronic pain patients and has correlated the alterations with pain severity. In addition, there appeared to be a need to directly assess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) because previous findings on cytokine concentrations in peripheral circulation have been inconsistent. CSF and blood specimens were obtained from 14 patients with distal painful non-diabetic polyneuropathy (DPPN) or post-traumatic neuralgia (PTN). Elevated receptor levels for Tumor Necrosis Factor (sTNFr) were the most distinctive abnormality along with low interleukin-10 (IL-10). sTNFr in CSF and blood, and IL-1ss in CSF, were positively associated with pain intensity, whereas IL-10 in both compartments was inversely correlated with pain symptoms. An imbalance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines appears to be a clinically relevant feature, which may contribute to the maintenance of chronic pain.
Perspectives in Biology and Medicine | 2006
Bruce Barrett; Daniel Muller; David Rakel; David Rabago; Lucille Marchand; Joanne Caroline Scheder
Placebos are boon and bane to medical theory and clinical practice. On the one hand, randomized controlled trials employ concealed allocations of placebo to control for effects not due to specific pharmacological mechanisms. As a result, nearly all of evidence-based medicine derives from principles and practices based on placebo. On the other hand, medical researchers and physicians have tended to ignore, minimize, or deride placebos and placebo effects, perhaps due to values emphasizing scientific understanding of mechanistic pathways. We argue that intention, expectation, culture, and meaning are central to placebo-effect phenomena and are substantive determinants of health. We introduce three dualities that are integral to placebo/meaning phenomena: body-mind, subconscious-conscious, and passive-active. These placebo-related dualities should be acknowledged, explored with research, and incorporated in theory. While we view consideration of placebo and meaning effects as essential to any adequate understanding of human health, we feel that lessons from this area of inquiry may already provide practical tools for astute clinicians. Toward this end, we list eight specific clinical actions: speak positively about treatments, provide encouragement, develop trust, provide reassurance, support relationships, respect uniqueness, explore values, and create ceremony. These clinical actions can empower patients to seek greater health and may provide a healthful sense of being cared for.
Annals of Family Medicine | 2012
Bruce Barrett; Mary S. Hayney; Daniel Muller; David Rakel; Ann Ward; Chidi N. Obasi; Roger Brown; Zhengjun Zhang; Aleksandra Zgierska; James E. Gern; Rebecca West; Tola Ewers; Shari Barlow; Michele Gassman; Christopher L. Coe
PURPOSE This study was designed to evaluate potential preventive effects of meditation or exercise on incidence, duration, and severity of acute respiratory infection (ARI) illness. METHODS Community-recruited adults aged 50 years and older were randomized to 1 of 3 study groups: 8-week training in mindfulness meditation, matched 8-week training in moderate-intensity sustained exercise, or observational control. The primary outcome was area-under-the-curve global illness severity during a single cold and influenza season, using the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey (WURSS-24) to assess severity. Health care visits and days of missed work were counted. Nasal wash collected during ARI illness was assayed for neutrophils, interleukin-8, and viral nucleic acid. RESULTS Of 154 adults randomized into the study, 149 completed the trial (82% female, 94% white, mean age 59.3 ± 6.6 years). There were 27 ARI episodes and 257 days of ARI illness in the meditation group (n = 51), 26 episodes and 241 illness days in the exercise group (n = 47), and 40 episodes and 453 days in the control group (n = 51). Mean global severity was 144 for meditation, 248 for exercise, and 358 for control. Compared with control, global severity was significantly lower for meditation (P = .004). Both global severity and total days of illness (duration) trended toward being lower for the exercise group (P=.16 and P=.032, respectively), as did illness duration for the meditation group (P=.034). Adjusting for covariates using zero-inflated multivariate regression models gave similar results. There were 67 ARI-related days of-work missed in the control group, 32 in the exercise group (P = .041), and 16 in the meditation group (P <.001). Health care visits did not differ significantly. Viruses were identified in 54% of samples from meditation, 42% from exercise, and 54% from control groups. Neutrophil count and interleukin-8 levels were similar among intervention groups. CONCLUSIONS Training in meditation or exercise may be effective in reducing ARI illness burden.
Journal of Biological Standardization | 1979
Donald W. Smith; G.E. Harding; J. Chan; Mark L. Edwards; Jacquelyn A. Hank; Daniel Muller; F. Sobhi
The purpose of this study was to evaluate a low-level aerosol challenge guinea pig model for inclusion in a proposed joint-field-trial laboratory-model assay of the potency of a panel of BCG vaccines. The animal model was one in which guinea pigs were infected via the respiratory route with approximately seven viable virulent tubercle bacilli (strain H37Rv) capable of multiplying and initiating primary lesions. This animal model was used to evaluate the immunizing potency of 10 BCG vaccines. Groups of animals receiving vaccine or placebo were killed 6, 9 or 12 weeks after challenge in order to determine the number of virulent bacilli recoverable from primary-lesion-containing lung lobes and the number recovered from primary-lesion-free lung lobes. Since all lung lobes of each animal were cultured, the percent lobes yielding tubercle bacilli on culture could also be calculated. By these several criteria, each of which evaluates modulation of the bacillemic phase of the infection, all 100 vaccines induced a protective response. One vaccine, an experimental vaccine not used in humans, was of low potency. The remaining vaccines were of moderate to high potency. The results of this study indicate that the low-aerosol-challenge guinea pig model fulfils the criteria for inclusion in the joint-field-trial laboratory-model assay of the potency of BCG vaccines.
Clinical Rheumatology | 2012
Barbara L. Loevinger; Elizabeth A. Shirtcliff; Daniel Muller; Carmen Alonso; Christopher L. Coe
The heterogeneity of patients meeting American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) challenges our ability to understand the underlying pathogenesis and to optimize treatment of this enigmatic disorder. Our goal was to discern clinically relevant subgroups across multiple psychological and biomedical domains to better characterize the phenomenology of FM. Women meeting 1990 ACR criteria for FM (Nu2009=u2009107) underwent psychological (childhood trauma, mood, anxiety, and stress) and biomedical (neuroendocrine, immune, and metabolic) testing. Cluster analysis identified four distinct subgroups. Subgroups I, II, and III exhibited profiles that included high psychological distress. Subgroup I was further distinguished by a history of childhood maltreatment and hypocortisolism, and these women reported the most pain and disability. Subgroup II evinced more physiological dysregulation and also reported high levels of pain, fatigue, and disability. Subgroup III was characterized by normal biomarkers and reported intermediate pain severity with higher global functioning. Subgroup IV was distinguished by their psychological well-being, reporting less disability and pain. Our findings underscore the heterogeneity of both psychological and physiological features among FM patients presenting with nearly identical tender point counts. This subgroup categorization is compatible with hypothesized pathogenetic mechanisms of early trauma, stress system dysregulation, and pro-inflammatory bias, each prominent in some but not all FM patients. Appreciation of distinct FM subgroup features is invaluable for selecting the most appropriate treatment modalities.
Journal of Immunological Methods | 1994
Arnor Vikingsson; Katrina Pederson; Daniel Muller
We describe a flow cytometry method to simultaneously analyze IFN-gamma production and T cell surface phenotype in freshly isolated lymphocytes without requiring prior in vitro stimulation. We show that enumeration of intracytoplasmic IFN-gamma positive T cells correlates with quantitative measurement of IFN-gamma in culture supernatant fluids. This suggests that cytokines can be reliably measured using flow cytometry. Flow cytometry has the added advantage of simultaneous detection of cell surface markers. Furthermore, we suggest that analysis of ex vivo IFN-gamma production at the single cell level may reflect more accurately T cell IFN-gamma production, by avoiding the polyclonal stimulation of IFN-gamma production observed after short term in vitro stimulation.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics | 2005
Holly E. Schleicher; Carmen Alonso; Elizabeth A. Shirtcliff; Daniel Muller; Barbara L. Loevinger; Christopher L. Coe
Background: Few studies have examined the potentially beneficial role of positive psychological functioning in individuals with chronic pain. This study examined the relationship of psychological well-being (PWB) to pain and disability in women with fibromyalgia (FM) as compared to women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and healthy controls (HC). We targeted several domains of PWB that have been associated with health, and also tested whether PWB was related to the women’s social network. Methods: PWB, pain, and disability were assessed in 125 women (57 with FM, 20 with RA, and 48 HC) on two occasions. Results: Women with FM reported lower overall PWB than did RA and HC women. Further, greater PWB was associated with less disability and fatigue, but not pain in women with FM. Self-acceptance, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and positive relations with others emerged as four important constructs in the association between PWB and disability. In addition, PWB mediated the relationship between social network size and disability. Conclusions: This assessment of PWB provides insight into those psychological domains that should be emphasized in treatments aimed at reducing the disabling aspects of FM.
Vaccine | 2003
Mary S. Hayney; Gayle D. Love; Jessica M. Buck; Carol D. Ryff; Burton H. Singer; Daniel Muller
Existing data suggest that immune function is compromised by negative psychosocial factors. We hypothesized that high psychological well being and quality relationships would be associated with vigorous cytokine responses to vaccination. Lymphocytes from 18 individuals were studied for their ability to produce interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) with influenza or hepatitis A immunization. Psychological well being and relationship quality were measured using standardized scales. Significant positive correlations were made between psychological well being and quality relationships and IFN-gamma and IL-10 production to influenza and hepatitis A on day 28 (Pearson correlations: 0.6-0.7; P<0.05). This preliminary study represents one of the first to show positive physiological health is associated with positive psychosocial factors.