Dr. Vernon Barnes

Dr. Barnes' present research interests involves examining the impact of interventions in the areas of behavior and complementary and alternative medicine. He has over 15 years of experience conducting interventions to evaluate the effectiveness of stress reduction in treatment of elevated blood pressure and associated pre-clinical markers of cardiovascular disease in youth and adolescents. He has also received funding as principal investigator from the American Heart Association, the NIH NHLBI and the Georgia Health Sciences University.

Education & Training

PhD
Maharishi University of Management, IA 1996
Physiology

MS
Maharishi International University, IA 1993
Molecular and Cellular Biology

MSCI
Maharishi European Research University, IA 1981
Science of Creative Intelligence

BS
University of Calgary, CAN 1973
Computer Science/Chemistry

Research Highlights

Contributed to studies with mind-body medicine:
A review article on stress, stress reduction and hypertension included mortality findings published in the Journal of the National Medical Association. The mortality findings presented to the American Heart Association in 1996 were the basis for a later study published in the American Journal of Cardiology.

The mechanism of blood pressure lowering effects with Transcendental Meditation was proposed based on findings with adults. This study was followed up in a school-based study with prehypertensive African American adolescents, that reported and improved school behavior, reduced resting and ambulatory blood pressure and reduced cardiovascular reactivity and left ventricular mass in adolescents at risk for hypertension practicing the Transcendental Meditation program. We were able to demonstrate that a school-based meditation program could be successful in lowering blood pressure in normotensive 12 year-olds. A later study with prehypertensive adolescents reported reduced blood pressure and sodium retention and the importance of family influences on meditation efficacy.

Studies on childhood obesity:
Our studies with childhood obesity reported findings on the association of adiposity and cardiovascular reactivity in adolescents that was published in the International Journal of Obesity. These findings were followed up with a school-based mindfulness-based eating awareness training for overweight adolescents that showed improved diet and exercise habits. A later study examined ethnicity and socioeconomic status on cardiovascular reactivity in youth.

We were the first to measure stress levels and hemodynamics in adolescents with family members deployed in the Iraq War and the first to report on anger, anxiety and blood pressure changes with a school-based anger management program for adolescents. We recently reported on an in-patient program to increase bicycle helmet use in youth for prevention of traumatic brain injury.

Projects