1  629 155 DIFFERENCES IN BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND CONTROLS. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A MIND-BODY BASED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAT HAS DEMONSTRATED A VARIETY OF PHYSIOLOGICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL AND COGNITIVE HEALTH BENEFITS. ALTHOUGH YOGA PRACTICE HAS SHOWN TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, FEW STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED THE UNDERLYING NEUROLOGICAL CORRELATES. OBJECTIVE: THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE DIFFERENCES IN GRAY MATTER VOLUME OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS, THALAMUS AND CAUDATE NUCLEUS AND BRAIN ACTIVATION DURING THE STERNBERG WORKING MEMORY TASK. METHOD: PARTICIPANTS WERE 13 EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS (MEAN AGE = 35.8), DEFINED AS HAVING MORE THAN 3 YEARS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE, AND 13 AGE- AND SEX-MATCHED CONTROLS (MEAN AGE = 35.7). ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A 6-MIN WALK TEST TO ASSESS FITNESS, PSYCHOSOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRES; AND UNDERWENT MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TO ASSESS GRAY MATTER VOLUME AND BRAIN ACTIVATION. RESULTS: THERE WERE NO GROUP DIFFERENCES ON DEMOGRAPHIC MEASURES OF INCOME, EDUCATION AND ON ESTIMATED VO2MAX OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS. GRAY MATTER VOLUME DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN THE LEFT HIPPOCAMPUS, SHOWING GREATER VOLUME IN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPARED TO CONTROLS (P = 0.017). THE FUNCTIONAL MRI RESULTS REVEALED LESS ACTIVATION IN THE DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPARED TO CONTROLS DURING THE ENCODING PHASE OF THE STERNBERG TASK (P < 0.05). REACTION TIME AND ACCURACY ON THE TASK DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN REGULAR LONG-TERM YOGA PRACTICE AND DIFFERENTIAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF SPECIFIC BRAIN REGIONS INVOLVED IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, SPECIFICALLY WORKING MEMORY, WHICH HAS PREVIOUSLY SHOWN TO IMPROVE WITH YOGA PRACTICE. FUTURE STUDIES NEED TO EXAMINE INTERVENTION EFFECTS OF YOGA AND EXPLORE ITS POTENTIAL TO MAINTAIN AND IMPROVE COGNITIVE HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN THROUGH LONGITUDINAL AND INTERVENTION STUDIES.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
2 1098  40 EFFECTS OF YOGA RESPIRATORY PRACTICE (BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA) ON ANXIETY, AFFECT, AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY AND ACTIVITY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PRANAYAMA REFERS TO A SET OF YOGA BREATHING EXERCISES. RECENT EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMA HAS POSITIVE EFFECTS ON MEASURES OF CLINICAL STRESS AND ANXIETY. THIS STUDY EXPLORED THE IMPACT OF A BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA TRAINING PROGRAM ON EMOTION PROCESSING, ANXIETY, AND AFFECT. WE USED A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGN WITH THIRTY HEALTHY YOUNG ADULTS ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 4 WEEKS OF PRANAYAMA PRACTICES. TWO FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) PROTOCOLS WERE USED BOTH AT BASELINE AND POST-INTERVENTION: AN EMOTION TASK AS WELL AS A RESTING-STATE ACQUISITION. OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT PRANAYAMA SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED STATES OF ANXIETY AND NEGATIVE AFFECT. THE PRACTICE OF PRANAYAMA ALSO MODULATED THE ACTIVITY OF BRAIN REGIONS INVOLVED IN EMOTIONAL PROCESSING, PARTICULARLY THE AMYGDALA, ANTERIOR CINGULATE, ANTERIOR INSULA, AND PREFRONTAL CORTEX. RESTING-STATE FUNCTIONAL MRI (FMRI) SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY INVOLVING THE ANTERIOR INSULA AND LATERAL PORTIONS OF THE PREFRONTAL CORTEX. CORRELATION ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT CHANGES IN CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE VENTROLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND THE RIGHT ANTERIOR INSULA WERE ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGES IN ANXIETY. ALTHOUGH IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THESE ANALYSES WERE PRELIMINARY AND EXPLORATORY, IT PROVIDES THE FIRST EVIDENCE THAT 4 WEEKS OF B. PRANAYAMA SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE LEVELS OF ANXIETY AND NEGATIVE AFFECT, AND THAT THESE CHANGES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MODULATION OF ACTIVITY AND CONNECTIVITY IN BRAIN AREAS INVOLVED IN EMOTION PROCESSING, ATTENTION, AND AWARENESS. THE STUDY WAS REGISTERED AT HTTPS://WWW.ENSAIOSCLINICOS.GOV.BR/RG/RBR-2GV5C2/(RBR-2GV5C2).	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
3 1424  33 IMPROVEMENT IN PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AFTER 6 MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE. YOGA IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON COGNITION, ATTENUATION OF EMOTIONAL INTENSITY AND STRESS REDUCTION. PREVIOUS STUDIES WERE MAINLY PERFORMED ON EASTERN EXPERIENCED PRACTITIONERS OR UNHEALTHY SUBJECTS UNDERGOING CONCOMITANT CONVENTIONAL THERAPIES. FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS NEEDED ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA PER SE, AS WELL AS ITS POSSIBLE PREVENTIVE BENEFITS ON HEALTHY SUBJECTS. WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MEMORY AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS RELATED TO STRESS, COMPARING YOGA PRACTICE AND CONVENTIONAL PHYSICAL EXERCISES IN HEALTHY MEN (PREVIOUSLY YOGA-NAIVE). MEMORY TESTS, SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS AND STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION INVENTORIES WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER 6 MONTHS OF PRACTICE. YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED IMPROVEMENT OF THE MEMORY PERFORMANCE, AS WELL AS IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS. THE PRESENT RESULTS SUGGEST THAT REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE CAN IMPROVE ASPECTS OF COGNITION AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. AN INDIRECT INFLUENCE OF EMOTIONAL STATE ON COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENT PROMOTED BY YOGA PRACTICE CAN BE PROPOSED.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
4 1972  36 SHORT-TERM SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION TRAINING MODULATES BRAIN STRUCTURE AND SPONTANEOUS ACTIVITY IN THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL NETWORK. INTRODUCTION: WHILE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN NEURAL CHANGES IN LONG-TERM MEDITATORS, THEY MIGHT BE CONFOUNDED BY SELF-SELECTION AND POTENTIAL BASELINE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEDITATORS AND NON MEDITATORS. PROSPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF MEDITATION IN NAIVE SUBJECTS ARE MORE CONCLUSIVE WITH RESPECT TO CAUSAL INFERENCES, BUT RELATED EVIDENCE IS SO FAR LIMITED. METHODS: HERE, WE ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF A 4-WEEK SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION TRAINING ON GRAY MATTER DENSITY AND SPONTANEOUS RESTING-STATE BRAIN ACTIVITY IN A GROUP OF 12 MEDITATION-NAIVE HEALTHY ADULTS. RESULTS: COMPARED WITH 30 CONTROL SUBJECTS, THE PARTICIPANTS TO MEDITATION TRAINING SHOWED INCREASED GRAY MATTER DENSITY AND CHANGES IN THE COHERENCE OF INTRINSIC BRAIN ACTIVITY IN TWO ADJACENT REGIONS OF THE RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL GYRUS ENCOMPASSING THE ANTERIOR COMPONENT OF THE EXECUTIVE CONTROL NETWORK. BOTH THESE MEASURES CORRELATED WITH SELF-REPORTED WELL-BEING SCORES IN THE MEDITATION GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT OF A BRIEF MEDITATION TRAINING ON BRAIN REGIONS ASSOCIATED WITH ATTENTION, SELF-CONTROL, AND SELF-AWARENESS MAY REFLECT THE ENGAGEMENT OF COGNITIVE CONTROL SKILLS IN SEARCHING FOR A STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE, A DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. THE MANIFOLD IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS INVOLVE BOTH MANAGERIAL AND REHABILITATIVE SETTINGS CONCERNED WITH WELL-BEING AND EMOTIONAL STATE IN NORMAL AND PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
5 1288  38 GREATER CORTICAL THICKNESS IN ELDERLY FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS-A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. YOGA, A MIND-BODY ACTIVITY THAT REQUIRES ATTENTIONAL ENGAGEMENT, HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH POSITIVE CHANGES IN BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS RELATED TO AWARENESS, ATTENTION, EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND MEMORY. NORMAL AGING, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS ALSO BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL BRAIN CHANGES, BUT THESE GENERALLY INVOLVE DECREASED COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS. THE AIM OF THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS TO COMPARE BRAIN CORTICAL THICKNESS (CT) IN ELDERLY YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND A GROUP OF AGE-MATCHED HEALTHY NON-PRACTITIONERS. WE TESTED 21 OLDER WOMEN WHO HAD PRACTICED HATHA YOGA FOR AT LEAST 8 YEARS AND 21 WOMEN NAIVE TO YOGA, MEDITATION OR ANY MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS WHO WERE MATCHED TO THE FIRST GROUP IN AGE, YEARS OF FORMAL EDUCATION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL. A T1-WEIGHTED MPRAGE SEQUENCE WAS ACQUIRED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT. YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER CT IN A LEFT PREFRONTAL LOBE CLUSTER, WHICH INCLUDED PORTIONS OF THE LATERAL MIDDLE FRONTAL GYRUS, ANTERIOR SUPERIOR FRONTAL GYRUS AND DORSAL SUPERIOR FRONTAL GYRUS. WE FOUND GREATER CT IN THE LEFT PREFRONTAL CORTEX OF HEALTHY ELDERLY WOMEN WHO TRAINED YOGA FOR A MINIMUM OF 8 YEARS COMPARED WITH WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
6 2693  30 YOGA INCREASES THE VOLUME OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS. CONTEXT: THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE CORTICAL STRUCTURES IN THE ELDERLY IS AS YET UNKNOWN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SEVEN HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS RECEIVED YOGA INTERVENTION AS AN ADD-ON LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE. MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCANS WERE OBTAINED BEFORE AND 6 MONTHS LATER. VOXEL-BASED-MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSES COMPARED THE BRAINS BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA. RESULTS: YOGA GROUP WAS FOUND TO HAVE INCREASES IN HIPPOCAMPAL, BUT NOT IN OCCIPITAL GRAY MATTER. CONCLUSION: YOGA HAS POTENTIAL TO REDUCE NEURO-SENESCENCE. SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND ABSENCE OF THE CONTROL GROUP PREVENT GENERALIZATION OF THE FINDINGS LIMITING ITS TRANSLATIONAL VALUE.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
7 1304  44 HATHA YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED IN OLDER ADULTS: RESULTS FROM AN 8-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE IS WELL DOCUMENTED ACROSS VARIOUS ASPECTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION, INCLUDING ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED, AND LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS SUCH AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PREVENTING COGNITIVE DECLINE AND MAINTAINING OR EVEN IMPROVING COGNITIVE FUNCTION. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED AMONG OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (N = 118; MEAN AGE, 62 +/- 5.59) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA GROUP OR A STRETCHING CONTROL GROUP AND COMPLETED COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS-ATTENTION NETWORK TASK, TRAIL MAKING TEST PARTS A AND B, AND PATTERN COMPARISON TEST-AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: ANALYSES OF COVARIANCE REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER REACTION TIMES FOR THE YOGA GROUP ON THE ATTENTION NETWORK TASK'S NEUTRAL, CONGRUENT, AND INCONGRUENT CONDITIONS (P </= 0.04). THE YOGA INTERVENTION ALSO IMPROVED PARTICIPANTS' VISUOSPATIAL AND PERCEPTUAL PROCESSING ON THE TRAIL MAKING TEST PART B (P = 0.002) AND PATTERN COMPARISON (P < 0.001) TESTS. CONCLUSIONS: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE THAT INCLUDES POSTURES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATIVE EXERCISES LEAD TO IMPROVED ATTENTIONAL AND INFORMATION PROCESSING ABILITIES. ALTHOUGH THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS REMAIN LARGELY SPECULATIVE, MORE SYSTEMATIC TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO EXPLORE THE EXTENT OF COGNITIVE BENEFITS AND THEIR NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
8 2369  48 WHAT ARE THE KNOWN EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE BRAIN IN RELATION TO MOTOR PERFORMANCES, BODY AWARENESS AND PAIN? A NARRATIVE REVIEW. OBJECTIVE: THE CURRENT BODY OF LITERATURE WAS REVIEWED TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE BRAIN IN RELATION TO MOTOR PERFORMANCE, BODY AWARENESS AND PAIN. BACKGROUND: YOGA HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY POPULAR IN THE WESTERN COUNTRIES ESPECIALLY FOR ITS UNIQUE INTEGRATION OF THE MIND AND BODY. YOGA HAS BEEN STUDIED MORE INTENSELY IN THE LAST DECADE. ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, FEW STUDIES HAVE LOOKED INTO THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON IMPROVING MOTOR PERFORMANCE, BODY AWARENESS OR PAIN AND THE POSSIBLE UNDERLYING BRAIN MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. METHODS: A SEARCH OF THE CURRENT LITERATURE WAS MADE USING KEYWORDS SUCH AS: "YOGA BRAIN MOTOR", "YOGA BRAIN PAIN", "EFFECTS YOGA BRAIN" AND "EFFECTS YOGA BRAIN MOTOR PERFORMANCE". THE FINDINGS WERE THEN DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO MOTOR PERFORMANCE, BODY AWARENESS AND PAIN AND THEIR REPORTED MECHANISMS OF ACTION ON THE BRAIN. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 61 ARTICLES WERE SELECTED, OUT OF WHICH 29 WERE EXCLUDED BECAUSE THEY DID NOT MEET OUR CRITERIA. A TOTAL OF THIRTY-TWO ARTICLES WERE INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW, WHICH WE FURTHER SUBDIVIDED BY FOCUS: MOTOR PERFORMANCE (N=10), BODY AWARENESS (N=14) AND PAIN (N=8). DISCUSSION: OUR REVIEW SHOWS THAT YOGA HAS A POSITIVE EFFECT ON LEARNING RATE, SPEED AND ACCURACY OF A MOTOR TASK BY INCREASING ATTENTION AND DECREASING STRESS THROUGH A BETTER CONTROL OF SENSORIMOTOR RHYTHMS. YOGA ALSO SEEMS TO IMPROVE SENSORY AWARENESS AND INTEROCEPTION, REGULATE AUTONOMIC INPUT, INCREASE PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY AND PROMOTE SELF-REGULATION. YOGA WAS ALSO SHOWN TO REDUCE THE THREAT SIGNAL, INCREASE PAIN TOLERANCE, DECREASE PAIN UNPLEASANTNESS AND DECREASE THE ANXIETY AND DISTRESS ASSOCIATED WITH PAIN. THOSE CHANGES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECRUITMENT OF SPECIFIC BRAIN AREAS SUCH AS THE INSULA, THE AMYGDALA AND THE HIPPOCAMPUS. CONCLUSION: BASED ON THE STUDIES REVIEWED IN THIS REPORT, WE FOUND THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA SEEMS TO FACILITATE MOTOR LEARNING, TO INCREASE BODY AWARENESS AND TO DECREASE PAIN. THESE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF CHANGES IN TERMS OF BRAIN ACTIVITY AND STRUCTURE. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO REVEAL ITS PRECISE MECHANISM OF ACTION ON THE BRAIN AND TO VALIDATE ITS WIDER APPLICATION IN CLINICAL SETTINGS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                     
9 2045  43 THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. BACKGROUND: DESPITE AN INCREASE IN THE PREVALENCE OF YOGA EXERCISE, RESEARCH FOCUSING ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA EXERCISE AND COGNITION IS LIMITED. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN ACUTE YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, RELATIVE TO AEROBIC EXERCISE, ON COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. METHODS: A REPEATED MEASURES DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED WHERE 30 FEMALE COLLEGE-AGED PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 20.07, SD = 1.95) COMPLETED 3 COUNTERBALANCED TESTING SESSIONS: A YOGA EXERCISE SESSION, AN AEROBIC EXERCISE SESSION, AND A BASELINE ASSESSMENT. THE FLANKER AND N-BACK TASKS WERE USED TO MEASURE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED THAT COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AFTER THE YOGA EXERCISE BOUT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY SUPERIOR (IE, SHORTER REACTION TIMES, INCREASED ACCURACY) AS COMPARED WITH THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE CONDITIONS FOR BOTH INHIBITION AND WORKING MEMORY TASKS. THE AEROBIC AND BASELINE PERFORMANCE WAS NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT, CONTRADICTING SOME OF THE PREVIOUS FINDINGS IN THE ACUTE AEROBIC EXERCISE AND COGNITION LITERATURE. CONCLUSION: THESE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED RELATIVE TO THE NEED TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF OTHER NONTRADITIONAL MODES OF EXERCISE SUCH AS YOGA ON COGNITION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF TIME ELAPSED BETWEEN THE CESSATION OF THE EXERCISE BOUT AND THE INITIATION OF COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS IN IMPROVING TASK PERFORMANCE.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
10  778  34 EFFECT OF YOGA AND WORKING MEMORY TRAINING ON COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIVE ABILITIES AMONG MIDDLE AGED ADULTS. SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE REPORTED IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIVE ABILITIES WITH WORKING MEMORY TRAINING AND ALTERNATIVE THERAPEUTIC METHODS CONDUCTED SEPARATELY. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF COMBINING YOGA AND WORKING MEMORY TRAINING AMONG HEALTHY MIDDLE AGED ADULTS. A TOTAL OF 45 PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO THREE GROUPS. GROUP 1 RECEIVED BOTH YOGA AND WORKING MEMORY TRAINING, GROUP 2 RECEIVED ONLY WORKING MEMORY TRAINING AND GROUP 3 SERVED AS THE CONTROL GROUP. WORKING MEMORY TRAINING WAS PROVIDED ON SIX TASKS. YOGA TRAINING INVOLVED PRANAYAMAS AND MUDRAS. EFFECTS OF TRAINING WERE ASSESSED ALONG WITH THE SELF-PERCEPTUAL RATING OF THE PARTICIPANTS TOWARDS TRAINING. RESULTS REVEAL GREATER TRAINING EFFECTS AMONG GROUP 1 PARTICIPANTS, FOLLOWED BY GROUP 2 AND GROUP 3. GROUP 1 ALSO REPORTED BETTER PERCEPTION OF TRAINING (P < 0.05) THAN GROUP 2. THE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS THAT YOGA IS NOT ONLY AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH, BUT ALSO AUGMENTATIVE IN IMPROVING COGNITIVE COMMUNICATIVE ABILITIES.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
11 1105  43 EFFECTS OF YOGA VERSUS WALKING ON MOOD, ANXIETY, AND BRAIN GABA LEVELS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED MRS STUDY. OBJECTIVES: YOGA AND EXERCISE HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON MOOD AND ANXIETY. GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA)-ERGIC ACTIVITY IS REDUCED IN MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. THE PRACTICE OF YOGA POSTURES IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED BRAIN GABA LEVELS. THIS STUDY ADDRESSES THE QUESTION OF WHETHER CHANGES IN MOOD, ANXIETY, AND GABA LEVELS ARE SPECIFIC TO YOGA OR RELATED TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. METHODS: HEALTHY SUBJECTS WITH NO SIGNIFICANT MEDICAL/PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA OR A METABOLICALLY MATCHED WALKING INTERVENTION FOR 60 MINUTES 3 TIMES A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. MOOD AND ANXIETY SCALES WERE TAKEN AT WEEKS 0, 4, 8, 12, AND BEFORE EACH MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY SCAN. SCAN 1 WAS AT BASELINE. SCAN 2, OBTAINED AFTER THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION, WAS FOLLOWED BY A 60-MINUTE YOGA OR WALKING INTERVENTION, WHICH WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY SCAN 3. RESULTS: THE YOGA SUBJECTS (N = 19) REPORTED GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN MOOD AND GREATER DECREASES IN ANXIETY THAN THE WALKING GROUP (N = 15). THERE WERE POSITIVE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN IMPROVED MOOD AND DECREASED ANXIETY AND THALAMIC GABA LEVELS. THE YOGA GROUP HAD POSITIVE CORRELATIONS BETWEEN CHANGES IN MOOD SCALES AND CHANGES IN GABA LEVELS. CONCLUSIONS: THE 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER IMPROVEMENTS IN MOOD AND ANXIETY THAN A METABOLICALLY MATCHED WALKING EXERCISE. THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO DEMONSTRATE THAT INCREASED THALAMIC GABA LEVELS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED MOOD AND DECREASED ANXIETY. IT IS ALSO THE FIRST TIME THAT A BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION (I.E., YOGA POSTURES) HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN ACUTE INCREASES IN THALAMIC GABA LEVELS AND IMPROVEMENTS IN MOOD AND ANXIETY SCALES. GIVEN THAT PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS THAT INCREASE THE ACTIVITY OF THE GABA SYSTEM ARE PRESCRIBED TO IMPROVE MOOD AND DECREASE ANXIETY, THE REPORTED CORRELATIONS ARE IN THE EXPECTED DIRECTION. THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF GABA IN MEDIATING THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA ON MOOD AND ANXIETY WARRANTS FURTHER STUDY.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
12 1707  45 PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOLLOWING A YOGA INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES. BACKGROUND: THE CURRENT STUDY DESCRIBED PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE AND EXAMINED DIFFERENCES IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES WHO COMPLETED AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. METHODS: A LONGITUDINAL COMPARATIVE DESIGN MEASURED THE EFFECT OF A YOGA INTERVENTION ON YOGA PRACTICE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, USING DATA AT BASELINE AND POSTINTERVENTION MONTHS 3, 6, AND 15. RESULTS: DISPARATE PATTERNS OF YOGA PRACTICE OCCURRED BETWEEN INTERVENTION AND CONTROL PARTICIPANTS OVER TIME, BUT THE SUBJECTIVE DEFINITION OF YOGA PRACTICE LIMITS INTERPRETATION. MULTILEVEL MODEL ESTIMATES INDICATED THAT TREATMENT GROUP DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE IN THE RATE OF CHANGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER THE STUDY PERIOD. WHILE AGE AND EDUCATION WERE NOT SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUAL PREDICTORS, THE INCLUSION OF THESE VARIABLES IN THE MODEL DID IMPROVE FIT. CONCLUSIONS: FINDINGS INDICATE THAT AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION HAD LITTLE EFFECT ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY OVER TIME. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NECESSARY TO EXPLORE THE INFLUENCE OF YOGA ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OUTCOMES AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH OR AT RISK FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
13 1051  38 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BRAIN WAVES AND STRUCTURAL ACTIVATION: A REVIEW. PREVIOUS RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THE VAST MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA. YOGA PRACTICE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO SUBCATEGORIES THAT INCLUDE POSTURE-HOLDING EXERCISE (ASANA), BREATHING (PRANAYAMA, KRIYA), AND MEDITATION (SAHAJ) PRACTICE. STUDIES MEASURING MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES HAVE SHOWN DECREASES IN ANXIETY, AND INCREASES IN COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AFTER YOGA INTERVENTIONS. SIMILAR STUDIES HAVE ALSO SHOWN COGNITIVE ADVANTAGES AMONGST YOGA PRACTITIONERS VERSUS NON-PRACTITIONERS. THE MENTAL HEALTH AND COGNITIVE BENEFITS OF YOGA ARE EVIDENT, BUT THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN THE BRAIN THAT LEAD TO THIS REMAIN A TOPIC THAT LACKS CONSENSUS. THEREFORE, THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE AND REVIEW EXISTING LITERATURE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BRAIN WAVES AND STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND ACTIVATION. AFTER A NARROWED SEARCH THROUGH A SET OF SPECIFIC INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA, 15 ARTICLES WERE USED IN THIS REVIEW. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT BREATHING, MEDITATION, AND POSTURE-BASED YOGA INCREASED OVERALL BRAIN WAVE ACTIVITY. INCREASES IN GRAYGRAY MATTER ALONG WITH INCREASES IN AMYGDALA AND FRONTAL CORTEX ACTIVATION WERE EVIDENT AFTER A YOGA INTERVENTION. YOGA PRACTICE MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR A CLINICAL AND HEALTHY AGING POPULATION. FURTHER RESEARCH CAN EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF SPECIFIC BRANCHES OF YOGA ON A DESIGNATED CLINICAL POPULATION.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
14  361  29 ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ATTENTION, AFFECT AND CARDIAC ACTIVITY IN A SINGLE YOGA SESSION FOR FEMALE CANCER SURVIVORS: AN ENACTIVE NEUROPHENOMENOLOGY-BASED APPROACH. YOGA PRACTICE IS REPORTED TO LEAD TO IMPROVEMENTS IN QUALITY OF LIFE, PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING, AND SYMPTOM INDICES IN CANCER SURVIVORS. IMPORTANTLY, MEDITATIVE STATES EXPERIENCED WITHIN YOGA PRACTICE ARE CORRELATED TO NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THAT MODERATE BOTH FOCUS OF ATTENTION AND AFFECTIVE VALENCE. THE CURRENT STUDY USED A MIXED METHODS APPROACH BASED IN NEUROPHENOMENOLOGY TO INVESTIGATE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ATTENTION, AFFECT, AND CARDIAC ACTIVITY DURING A SINGLE YOGA SESSION FOR FEMALE CANCER SURVIVORS. YOGA PRACTICE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A LINEAR INCREASE IN ASSOCIATIVE ATTENTION AND POSITIVE AFFECTIVE VALENCE, WHILE SHIFTS IN CARDIAC ACTIVITY WERE RELATED TO THE INTENSITY OF EACH YOGA SEQUENCE. CHANGES IN ATTENTION AND AFFECT WERE PREDICTED BY CONCURRENTLY ASSESSED CARDIAC ACTIVITY. AWARENESS OF BREATHING, PHYSICAL MOVEMENT, AND INCREASED RELAXATION WERE REPORTED BY PARTICIPANTS AS POTENTIAL MECHANISMS FOR YOGA'S SALUTARY EFFECTS. WHILE YOGA PRACTICE SHARES COMMONALITIES WITH EXERCISE AND RELAXATION TRAINING, YOGA MAY SERVE PRIMARILY AS A PROMISING MEDITATIVE ATTENTION-AFFECT REGULATION TRAINING METHODOLOGY.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
15  690  41 EFFECT OF COMBINED YOGA AND TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION INTERVENTION ON WORKING MEMORY AND MINDFULNESS. TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION, A NON-INVASIVE NEUROSTIMULATION TECHNIQUE FOR MODULATING CORTICAL EXCITABILITY, AND YOGA HAVE BOTH RESPECTIVELY BEEN SHOWN TO POSITIVELY AFFECT COGNITION. WHILE PRELIMINARY RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT COMBINED TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION AND MEDITATION MAY HAVE SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS ON MOOD AND COGNITION, THIS WAS THE FIRST STUDY TO EXPLORE THE COMBINATION OF TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION AND YOGA. TWENTY-TWO HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS WITH A REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE EITHER ACTIVE TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION (ANODAL LEFT, CATHODAL RIGHT DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX) FOLLOWED BY YOGA INTERVENTION OR SHAM TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION FOLLOWED BY YOGA INTERVENTION A DOUBLE-BLIND, CROSS-OVER DESIGN OVER TWO SEPARATE INTERVENTION DAYS. OUTCOME MEASURES INCLUDED WORKING MEMORY PERFORMANCE, MEASURED WITH THE N-BACK TASK AND MINDFULNESS STATE, MEASURED WITH THE TORONTO MINDFULNESS SCALE, AND WERE CONDUCTED OFFLINE, WITH PRE-POST ASSESSMENTS. TWENTY PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED BOTH DAYS OF THE INTERVENTION. ACTIVE TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION DID NOT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT ON WORKING MEMORY OR LEVELS OF MINDFULNESS. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT PLACEBO EFFECT, WITH BETTER PERFORMANCE ON DAY 1 OF THE INTERVENTION, IRRESPECTIVE OF WHETHER PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED ACTIVE OR SHAM TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ACTIVE VERSUS SHAM TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION CONCERNING WORKING MEMORY PERFORMANCE AND MINDFULNESS, WHICH MAY BE ACCOUNTED BY THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE, THE TRANSIENT NATURE OF THE INTERVENTION, THE FACT THAT YOGA AND TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT STIMULATION CONCERNING WERE NOT CONDUCTED SIMULTANEOUSLY, AND THE SPECIFIC SITE OF STIMULATION.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
16 1839  35 PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES AND OUTCOMES OF YOGA OR WALKING AMONG OLDER ADULTS. FEW RESEARCHERS HAVE COMPARED PSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES AND OUTCOMES OF YOGA WITH MORE TRADITIONAL FORMS OF EXERCISE. THE AUTHORS' PRIMARY AIM WAS TO COMPARE CHANGES IN THE PSYCHOSOCIAL OUTCOMES OF MOOD AND STATE ANXIETY PRODUCED BY AN ACUTE BOUT OF YOGA OR WALKING AMONG OLDER ADULTS. THE SECONDARY AIM WAS TO COMPARE SELECTED PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF ACTIVITY. PARTICIPANTS WERE 51 ADULTS WHO WERE 50 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER WHO WALKED FOR EXERCISE OR PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA CLASS. RESULTS REVEALED THAT YOGA PARTICIPANTS HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER LEVELS OF DEPRESSION AND PERCEIVED BARRIERS TO EXERCISE, AND LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE THAN DID WALKERS. WITH CONTROL FOR THESE DIFFERENCES, YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD IMPROVED LEVELS OF FATIGUE PRE- TO POSTSESSION, COMPARED WITH WALKERS. WITH CONTROL FOR DIFFERENCES IN DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES, THESE CHANGES WERE NO LONGER SIGNIFICANT. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT YOGA PRACTITIONERS SEEK OUT MINDFUL-BASED EXERCISE TO COPE WITH GREATER LEVELS OF DEPRESSION AND LOWER LEVELS OF QUALITY OF LIFE.	2009	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
17 2736  31 YOGA POSES INCREASE SUBJECTIVE ENERGY AND STATE SELF-ESTEEM IN COMPARISON TO 'POWER POSES'. RESEARCH ON BENEFICIAL CONSEQUENCES OF YOGA FOCUSES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGIC BREATHING AND MEDITATION. LESS IS KNOWN ABOUT THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PERFORMING YOGA POSTURES. THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA POSES ON SUBJECTIVE SENSE OF ENERGY AND SELF-ESTEEM. THE EFFECTS OF YOGA POSTURES WERE COMPARED TO THE EFFECTS OF 'POWER POSES,' WHICH ARGUABLY INCREASE THE SENSE OF POWER AND SELF-CONFIDENCE DUE TO THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH INTERPERSONAL DOMINANCE (CARNEY ET AL., 2010). THE STUDY TESTED THE NOVEL PREDICTION THAT YOGA POSES, WHICH ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH INTERPERSONAL DOMINANCE BUT INCREASE BODILY ENERGY, WOULD INCREASE THE SUBJECTIVE FEELING OF ENERGY AND THEREFORE INCREASE SELF-ESTEEM COMPARED TO 'HIGH POWER' AND 'LOW POWER' POSES. A TWO FACTORIAL, BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS DESIGN WAS EMPLOYED. PARTICIPANTS PERFORMED EITHER TWO STANDING YOGA POSES WITH OPEN FRONT OF THE BODY (N = 19), TWO STANDING YOGA POSES WITH COVERED FRONT OF THE BODY (N = 22), TWO EXPANSIVE, HIGH POWER POSES (N = 21), OR TWO CONSTRICTIVE, LOW POWER POSES (N = 20) FOR 1-MIN EACH. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT YOGA POSES IN COMPARISON TO 'POWER POSES' INCREASED SELF-ESTEEM. THIS EFFECT WAS MEDIATED BY AN INCREASED SUBJECTIVE SENSE OF ENERGY AND WAS OBSERVED WHEN BASELINE TRAIT SELF-ESTEEM WAS CONTROLLED FOR. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE EFFECTS OF PERFORMING OPEN, EXPANSIVE BODY POSTURES MAY BE DRIVEN BY PROCESSES OTHER THAN THE POSES' ASSOCIATION WITH INTERPERSONAL POWER AND DOMINANCE. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT POSITIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE CAN OCCUR AFTER PERFORMING YOGA POSES FOR ONLY 2 MIN.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
18 2449  32 YOGA AND THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN ATTENTIONAL LOAD AND EMOTION INTERFERENCE. THIS STUDY COMPARED 45 YOGA PRACTITIONERS (M AGE = 29.7 YR., SD = 6.4) AND 45 MATCHED CONTROLS (M AGE = 29.3 YR., SD = 6.2) ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A BEHAVIORAL TASK THAT ASSESSED NEGATIVE EMOTION INTERFERENCE DURING A HIGH- AND A LOW-ATTENTIONAL DEMAND CONDITION, AS WELL AS ON STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES. OUTCOMES WERE ALSO COMPARED BETWEEN BEGINNER AND ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS. FOR THE BEHAVIORAL TASK, THE FINAL SAMPLE COMPRISED 36 YOGA AND 38 CONTROL PARTICIPANTS. THE YOGA GROUP PRESENTED LOWER EMOTION INTERFERENCE IN THE HIGH ATTENTIONAL CONDITION, COMPARED TO THE LOW ATTENTIONAL CONDITION; RATED EMOTIONAL IMAGES AS LESS UNPLEASANT, COMPARED TO CONTROLS; AND REPORTED LOWER STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES RELATIVE TO CONTROLS. ALSO, EMOTION INTERFERENCE IN THE LOW ATTENTIONAL CONDITION WAS LOWER AMONG ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS AND STATE ANXIETY WAS LOWER AMONG PRACTITIONERS ATTENDING MORE THAN TWO WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA MAY HELP IMPROVE SELF-REGULATORY SKILLS AND LOWER ANXIETY. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND EMOTION REGULATION SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED IN LONGITUDINAL STUDIES.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
19  427  36 CAN YOGA BOOST ACCESS TO THE BODILY AND EMOTIONAL SELF? CHANGES IN HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND IN AFFECTIVE EVALUATION BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA EXERCISE WITH AND WITHOUT INSTRUCTIONS OF CONTROLLED BREATHING AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS IN YOUNG HEALTHY WOMEN. EXERCISE IS INDISPENSABLE FOR A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE. YOGA EXERCISE CAN HAVE POSITIVE EFFECTS ON WELL-BEING AND ON CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY MAKING IT AN IDEAL INTERVENTION FOR IMPROVING MIND-BODY INTERACTIONS AND RESILIENCE TO PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRESSORS. EMOTIONS TRIGGER ESPECIALLY STRONG BODILY AND AFFECTIVE-COGNITIVE RESPONSES BECAUSE OF THEIR SOCIAL RELEVANCE FOR THE SELF AND THEIR BIOLOGICAL RELEVANCE OF MOBILIZING THE ORGANISM FOR ACTION. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES WHETHER CHANGES IN EMOTION PROCESSING RELATED TO SELF-OTHER REFERENTIAL PROCESSING AND CHANGES IN CARDIAC AUTONOMIC ACTIVITY, REFLECTED BY HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), OCCUR IMMEDIATELY AFTER ALREADY A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA EXERCISE WHEN YOGA POSTURES ARE PRACTICED WITH OR WITHOUT BREATHING- AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS INSTRUCTIONS. WOMEN, ALL UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (N = 34, FINAL SAMPLE: N = 30, N = 25 NAIVE TO YOGA PRACTICE) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO TWO EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS WHO PERFORMED THE SAME YOGA EXERCISES WITH OR WITHOUT CONTROLLED BREATHING AND MINDFULNESS INSTRUCTIONS. EMOTIONAL, SELF-OTHER REFERENTIAL PROCESSING, AWARENESS OF BODILY SIGNALS AND HRV INDICATORS WERE INVESTIGATED BEFORE AND AFTER THE EXERCISE USING STANDARDIZED EXPERIMENTAL TASKS, STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRES, AND MOBILE RECORDING DEVICES. EXERCISING FOR 30 MINUTES CHANGED CARDIAC ACTIVITY SIGNIFICANTLY. HRV MEASURES SHOWED ADAPTABILITY OF CARDIAC ACTIVITY DURING THE EXERCISE AS WELL AS DURING THE AFFECTIVE TASK POST- TO PRE-EXERCISE. EXERCISING WITH BREATHING INSTRUCTIONS AND MINDFUL BODY AWARENESS HAD NO SUPERIOR EFFECTS ON CARDIAC, PARTICULARLY PARASYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY, COMPARED TO PRACTICING THE SAME MOVEMENTS WITHOUT SUCH EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS. SELF-REFERENTIAL PROCESSING DID NOT CHANGE; HOWEVER, PARTICIPANTS WERE FASTER AND MORE ACCURATE IN THEIR AFFECTIVE JUDGMENTS OF EMOTIONAL STIMULI [REGARDLESS OF THEIR REFERENCE (SELF/OTHER)], AND SHOWED BETTER AWARENESS OF BODILY SIGNALS AFTER COMPARED TO BEFORE THE EXERCISE SESSION. THE RESULTS SUPPORT IMMEDIATE, ADAPTIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA EXERCISE ON CARDIAC AND AFFECTIVE-COGNITIVE PROCESSING IN AN ALL-FEMALE HEALTHY SAMPLE. THEREFORE, YOGA EXERCISE COULD BE RECOMMENDED AS A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR BOOSTING CARDIAC AND EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE IN THIS TARGET GROUP.	2021	

20 2743  53 YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES EXECUTIVE FUNCTION BY ATTENUATING STRESS LEVELS. BACKGROUND: PROLONGED ACTIVATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMUS-PITUITARY-ADRENAL SYSTEM IS THOUGHT TO HAVE DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON BRAIN FUNCTION. NEUROENDOCRINE STUDIES SUGGEST THAT BRAIN EXPOSURE TO HIGHER CORTISOL CONCENTRATIONS CONTRIBUTE TO COGNITIVE DEFICITS AS WE AGE. MIND-BODY TECHNIQUES SUCH AS YOGA HAVE SHOWN TO IMPROVE STRESS LEVELS BY RESTORING THE BODY'S SYMPATHETIC-PARASYMPATHETIC BALANCE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA PRACTICE MODERATED THE STRESS RESPONSE RESULTING IN IMPROVED EXECUTIVE FUNCTION. METHODS: SEDENTARY COMMUNITY DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (N=118, MEAN AGE=62.02) WERE RANDOMIZED TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION OR A STRETCHING CONTROL GROUP. AT BASELINE AND FOLLOWING 8 WEEKS, ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MEASURES OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, SELF-REPORTED STRESS AND ANXIETY AND PROVIDED SALIVA SAMPLES BEFORE AND AFTER COGNITIVE TESTING TO ASSESS CORTISOL. RESULTS: YOGA PARTICIPANTS SHOWED IMPROVED ACCURACY ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION MEASURES AND AN ATTENUATED CORTISOL RESPONSE COMPARED TO THEIR STRETCHING COUNTERPARTS WHO SHOWED INCREASED CORTISOL LEVELS AND POOR COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE AT FOLLOW UP. THE CHANGE IN CORTISOL LEVELS AS WELL AS SELF-REPORTED STRESS AND ANXIETY LEVELS PREDICTED PERFORMANCE ON THE RUNNING SPAN TASK, N-BACK WORKING MEMORY AND TASK SWITCHING PARADIGM (BETA'S=0.27-0.38, P'S</=0.05 FOR YOGA AND BETA'S=-0.37-0.47, P'S</=0.01 FOR STRETCHING CONTROL). CONCLUSION: EIGHT WEEKS OF REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE RESULTED IN IMPROVED WORKING MEMORY PERFORMANCE THAT WAS MEDIATED BY AN ATTENUATED RESPONSE TO STRESS AS MEASURED BY SELF-REPORT STRESS AND OBJECTIVE SALIVARY CORTISOL MEASUREMENTS. THIS TRIAL OFFERS EVIDENCE FOR NON-TRADITIONAL PHYSICAL ACTIVITY INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS YOGA THAT MAY BE HELPFUL IN RESTORING HPA BALANCE IN OLDER ADULTS, THEREBY PREVENTING COGNITIVE DECLINE.	2016