1 2782 91 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA--A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA HAS REMAINED UNSATISFACTORY DESPITE THE AVAILABILITY OF ANTIPSYCHOTICS. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY (YT) AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT TO THE ONGOING ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENT. METHOD: SIXTY-ONE MODERATELY ILL SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YT (N = 31) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE THERAPY (PT; N = 30) FOR 4 MONTHS. THEY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 4 MONTHS AFTER THE START OF INTERVENTION, BY A RATER WHO WAS BLIND TO THEIR GROUP STATUS. RESULTS: FORTY-ONE SUBJECTS (YT = 21; PT = 20) WERE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS FOR ASSESSMENT. SUBJECTS IN THE YT GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY THAN THOSE IN THE PT GROUP AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. THEY ALSO HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER SOCIAL AND OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. CONCLUSION: BOTH NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCTION IN SYMPTOMS, WITH YT HAVING BETTER EFFICACY. 2007 2 2293 44 THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF ADD-ON YOGASANA INTERVENTION IN STABILIZED OUTPATIENT SCHIZOPHRENIA: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED COMPARISON WITH EXERCISE AND WAITLIST. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS A HIGHLY DISABLING ILLNESS. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN YOGA TO BE A FEASIBLE ADD-ON THERAPY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. AIMS: THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN OUTPATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THE STUDY DONE AT A TERTIARY PSYCHIATRY CENTER USED A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DESIGN WITH ACTIVE CONTROL AND WAITLIST GROUPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA, EXERCISE, OR WAITLIST GROUP. THEY CONTINUED TO RECEIVE PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY THAT WAS UNCHANGED DURING THE STUDY. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA OR EXERCISE GROUP WERE OFFERED SUPERVISED DAILY PROCEDURES FOR ONE MONTH. ALL PATIENTS WERE ASSESSED BY A BLIND RATER AT THE START OF THE INTERVENTION AND AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: KENDALL TAU, A NONPARAMETRIC STATISTICAL TEST, SHOWED THAT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP IMPROVED IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS) NEGATIVE AND TOTAL PANSS SCORES AS WELL AS SOCIAL FUNCTIONING SCORES COMPARED WITH THE EXERCISE AND WAITLIST GROUP. ODDS RATIO ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA GROUP IN TERMS OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS WAS ABOUT FIVE TIMES GREATER THAN EITHER THE EXERCISE OR WAITLIST GROUPS. CONCLUSION: IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WITH SEVERAL YEARS OF ILLNESS AND ON STABILIZED PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY, ONE-MONTH TRAINING FOLLOWED BY THREE MONTHS OF HOME PRACTICES OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT OFFERED SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER EXERCISE OR TREATMENT AS USUAL. YOGA HOLDS PROMISE AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. 2012 3 1129 38 EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR IN-PATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOTIC DISORDER. CONTEXT: THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS IS AS YET UNKNOWN; ALTHOUGH, PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN EFFICACY IN STABILIZED OUT-PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. AIM: THIS STUDY AIMED TO COMPARE THE EFFECT OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ALONG WITH STANDARD PHARMACOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THIS STUDY WAS PERFORMED IN AN IN-PATIENT SETTING USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED SINGLE BLIND DESIGN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 88 CONSENTING IN-PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA THERAPY GROUP (N=44) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP (N=44). SIXTY PATIENTS COMPLETED THE STUDY PERIOD OF 1(1/2) MONTHS. PATIENTS WHO COMPLETED IN THE YOGA GROUP (N=35) AND IN THE EXERCISE GROUP (N=25) WERE SIMILAR ON THE DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE, ILLNESS PARAMETERS AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SCORES AT BASELINE. RESULTS: THE TWO TREATMENT GROUPS WERE NOT DIFFERENT ON THE CLINICAL SYNDROME SCORES AT THE END OF 2 WEEKS. AT THE END OF 6 WEEKS, PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP HOWEVER HAD LOWER MEAN SCORES ON CLINICAL GLOBAL IMPRESSION SEVERITY (CGIS), POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (TOTAL AND GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SUBSCALE) AND HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HDRS) (P<0.05). REPEATED MEASURE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE DETECTED AN ADVANTAGE FOR YOGA OVER EXERCISE IN REDUCING THE CLINICAL CGIS AND HDRS SCORES. CONCLUSION: ADDING YOGA INTERVENTION TO STANDARD PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT IS FEASIBLE AND MAY BE BENEFICIAL EVEN IN THE EARLY AND ACUTE STAGE OF PSYCHOSIS. 2013 4 2864 38 YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: THE USE OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS HAS BEEN POORLY STUDIED. THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF A BRIEF YOGA PROGRAM AS AN INTERVENTION IN CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS USING A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED RESEARCH DESIGN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CAREGIVERS WHO AGREED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY (N=29) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA (N=15) OR WAIT-LIST GROUP (N=14). THEY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. PATIENTS WHO WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THE YOGA GROUP WERE OFFERED SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING THRICE A WEEK FOR 4 WEEKS, AFTER WHICH THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE AT HOME FOR THE NEXT 2 MONTHS. DUE TO THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND SOME VARIABLES NOT BEING NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED, NON-PARAMETRIC STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WAS USED. RESULTS: RESULTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BURDEN SCORES AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE SCORES IN THE YOGA GROUP AS COMPARED TO THE WAIT-LIST GROUP AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCORES IN CAREGIVERS, OR PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SCORES IN PATIENTS. CONCLUSION: IN CAREGIVERS OF OUTPATIENTS WITH FUNCTIONAL PSYCHOSIS, 4 WEEKS OF TRAINING FOLLOWED BY 3 MONTHS OF HOME PRACTICE OF A YOGA MODULE OFFERED SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER WAITLIST. YOGA CAN BE OFFERED AS AN INTERVENTION FOR CAREGIVERS OF PATIENTS WITH SEVERE MENTAL DISORDERS. METHODS OF PROVIDING YOGA INTERVENTION CLOSER TO THE COMMUNITY OR USE OF FLEXIBLE MODULES AT HOSPITALS NEEDS FURTHER STUDY. 2013 5 2441 35 YOGA AND SCHIZOPHRENIA-A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF NEUROPLASTICITY: PROTOCOL FOR A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY OF YOGA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. INTRODUCTION: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS ONE OF THE MOST SEVERE MENTAL DISORDERS WITH A PREVALENCE OF ABOUT 1% AND A LEADING CAUSE OF DISABILITY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS. PHARMACOTHERAPY IS THE MAINSTAY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. HOWEVER, EVEN WITH THE BEST OF MEDICATION, SEVERAL PROBLEMS LIKE REFRACTORINESS, NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, FREQUENT RELAPSES, AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS PERSIST. METHODS: THIS IS A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDY INCLUDING PATIENTS FROM AN URBAN TERTIARY HOSPITAL AND A SEMI-URBAN COMMUNITY CENTER, WITH A BETWEEN-GROUP, REPEATED-MEASURES, LONGITUDINAL DESIGN. THIS STUDY WILL RECRUIT 160 PATIENTS WITH DSM 5 DIAGNOSIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA WHO ARE ON STABLE MEDICATION FOR A MINIMUM OF 6 WEEKS; THEY WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO 2 ARMS VIZ., YOGA THERAPY (YT), AND TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (TAU) WITH 80 PATIENTS IN EACH ARM. PARTICIPANTS WILL UNDERGO CLINICAL, LABORATORY, AND RADIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS AT BASELINE AND AT INTERVALS OF 1 MONTH, 3 MONTHS, AND 6 MONTHS FROM THE BASELINE. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA WILL IMPROVE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND EMOTION PROCESSING, INCREASE SERUM BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS AND EFFECT CHANGES IN CEREBRAL ACTIVATION IN AREAS OF THE BRAIN ASSOCIATED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY AIMS TO MEASURE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION AS AN ADJUNCT IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AS WELL AS THE MECHANISMS OF THESE EFFECTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: REGISTERED RETROSPECTIVELY WITH CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY - INDIA (CTRI) WITH REGISTRATION NUMBER CTRI/2017/08/009219. 2019 6 272 28 ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY FOR SOCIAL COGNITION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA AS A MIND-BODY THERAPY IS USEFUL IN LIFESTYLE-RELATED DISORDERS INCLUDING NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS, YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, FUNCTIONING, AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVEL. AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY ON SOCIAL COGNITION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN A SINGLE PRE-POST, STUDY DESIGN, 15 SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS STABILIZED ON ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION FOR 6 WEEKS WERE ASSESSED FOR SOCIAL COGNITION (THEORY OF MIND, FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION, AND SOCIAL PERCEPTION [SP]) AND CLINICAL SYMPTOMS (NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE SYMPTOMS AND SOCIAL DISABILITY) BEFORE AND AFTER TWENTY SESSIONS OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SOCIAL COGNITION COMPOSITE SCORE AFTER 20 SESSIONS OF YOGA (T[13] = -5.37, P