1 1347 180 HYPOXIA IN CNS PATHOLOGIES: EMERGING ROLE OF MIRNA-BASED NEUROTHERAPEUTICS AND YOGA BASED ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES. CELLULAR RESPIRATION IS A VITAL PROCESS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF LIFE. ANY CONDITION THAT RESULTS IN DEPRIVATION OF OXYGEN (ALSO TERMED AS HYPOXIA) MAY EVENTUALLY LEAD TO DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON THE FUNCTIONING OF TISSUES. BRAIN BEING THE HIGHEST CONSUMER OF OXYGEN IS PRONE TO INCREASED RISK OF HYPOXIA-INDUCED NEUROLOGICAL INSULTS. THIS IN TURN HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH MANY DISEASES OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) SUCH AS STROKE, ALZHEIMER'S, ENCEPHALOPATHY ETC. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING ISCHEMIC/HYPOXIC CNS DISEASES, THE KNOWLEDGE ABOUT PROTECTIVE THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES TO AMELIORATE THE AFFECTED NEURONAL CELLS IS MEAGER. THIS HAS AUGMENTED THE NEED TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HYPOXIC AND ISCHEMIC EVENTS OCCURRING IN THE BRAIN AND IDENTIFY NOVEL AND ALTERNATE TREATMENT MODALITIES FOR SUCH INSULTS. MICRORNA (MIRNAS), SMALL NON-CODING RNA MOLECULES, HAVE RECENTLY EMERGED AS POTENTIAL NEUROPROTECTIVE AGENTS AS WELL AS TARGETS, UNDER HYPOXIC CONDITIONS. THESE 18-22 NUCLEOTIDE LONG RNA MOLECULES ARE PROFUSELY PRESENT IN BRAIN AND OTHER ORGANS AND FUNCTION AS GENE REGULATORS BY CLEAVING AND SILENCING THE GENE EXPRESSION. IN BRAIN, THESE ARE KNOWN TO BE INVOLVED IN NEURONAL DIFFERENTIATION AND PLASTICITY. THEREFORE, TARGETING MIRNA EXPRESSION REPRESENTS A NOVEL THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO INTERCEDE AGAINST HYPOXIC AND ISCHEMIC BRAIN INJURY. IN THE FIRST PART OF THIS REVIEW, WE WILL DISCUSS THE NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES CAUSED AS A RESULT OF HYPOXIA, FOLLOWED BY THE CONTRIBUTION OF HYPOXIA IN THE NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. SECONDLY, WE WILL PROVIDE RECENT UPDATES AND INSIGHTS INTO THE ROLES OF MIRNA IN THE REGULATION OF GENES IN OXYGEN AND GLUCOSE DEPRIVED BRAIN IN ASSOCIATION WITH CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS AND HOW THESE CAN BE TARGETED AS NEUROPROTECTIVE AGENTS FOR CNS INJURIES. FINALLY, WE WILL EMPHASIZE ON ALTERNATE BREATHING OR YOGIC INTERVENTIONS TO OVERCOME THE HYPOXIA ASSOCIATED ANOMALIES THAT COULD ULTIMATELY LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT IN CEREBRAL PERFUSION.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
2 1257  19 FETAL AND MATERNAL RESPONSES TO YOGA IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER. OBJECTIVE: THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE MATERNAL AND FETAL RESPONSES TO A TYPICAL, MODERATE-INTENSITY YOGA SESSION IN HEALTHY PREGNANT WOMEN DURING THE THIRD TRIMESTER USING CONTINUOUS MONITORING.METHODS: THIS PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY IN LOW-RISK, PREGNANT WOMEN USED THE MONICA AN24 ABDOMINAL ECG WIRELESS MATERNAL-FETAL MONITOR TO MEASURE FETAL HEART RATE, MATERNAL HEART RATE, AND UTERINE ACTIVITY DURING A PRENATAL YOGA SESSION. SESSIONS INCLUDED 4 TIME PERIODS: (1) 20-MINUTE REST, (2) 50 MINUTES STANDARD PRENATAL YOGA, (3) 10-MINUTE MEDITATION, (4) 20-MINUTE RECOVERY. DATA WERE CONTINUOUSLY RECORDED THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE SESSION, STORED AT 0.25-SECOND INTERVALS, AND THEN AVERAGED OVER 5-MINUTE INTERVALS. TO EVALUATE CHANGES OVER TIME, OVERALL MEANS FOR THE FOUR TIME PERIODS (REST, YOGA, MEDITATION, RECOVERY) WERE COMPARED USING ONE-WAY ANOVA WITH REPEATED MEASURES. POST-HOC PAIRWISE COMPARISONS (TUKEY'S) WERE USED TO PROBE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FOUR TIME POINTS. STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE WAS REACHED AT P < .05.RESULTS: TWENTY PARTICIPANTS WERE ENROLLED; 19 COMPLETED THE YOGA SESSION. MEAN GESTATIONAL AGE WAS 35 WEEKS AND 6 DAYS (RANGE OF 32-0/7 TO 38-6/7) WITH AN AVERAGE PARTICIPANT AGE OF 32 +/- 2.7 YEARS. MATERNAL HEART RATES SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED DURING THE YOGA PERIOD (102 +/- 11 BPM) COMPARED TO REST (90 +/- 10), MEDITATION (85 +/- 12), AND RECOVERY (88 +/- 10) (P < .01). THE MAXIMUM MATERNAL HEART RATE REACHED DURING THE YOGA SESSION WAS 125 +/- 13 BPM. WHILE FETAL HEART RATES FLUCTUATED SLIGHTLY OVER THE COURSE OF THE YOGA SESSION, THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT FETAL HEART RATE DECELERATIONS TO SUGGEST DELETERIOUS FETAL EFFECTS. THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AMONG RESTING (138 +/- 14 BPM), YOGA (137 +/- 11 BPM), MEDITATION (139 +/- 7 BPM), OR RECOVERY (135 +/- 22 BPM) FETAL HEART RATES (P = .814). UTERINE ACTIVITY WAS SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER DURING THE YOGA PERIOD COMPARED WITH THE OTHER TIME POINTS (P < .001).CONCLUSION: YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR LOW-RISK WOMEN DURING PREGNANCY AS NO ADVERSE FETAL OR MATERNAL HEART RATE CHANGES WERE OBSERVED DURING A TYPICAL PRENATAL YOGA SESSION.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
3 2743  33 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
4 2201  29 THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA CAN BE MAINTAINED IN A VETERAN FRIENDLY YOGA PROGRAM. BACKGROUND: POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) MAY OCCUR AFTER A TRAUMATIC EVENT AND HAS DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING DECREASED QUALITY OF LIFE AND FUNCTION. YOGA IS AN INTERVENTION THAT MAY HELP WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF PTSD SYMPTOMS, HOWEVER YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN RESEARCH STUDIES FREQUENTLY ONLY INCLUDE POSTURES AND BREATHWORK, NOT ALL EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: THE AIMS OF THIS QUALITATIVE STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE WHETHER PARTICIPANTS WITH PTSD IN A GROUP YOGA PROGRAM DISCUSSED THE BENEFITS OF YOGA IN A WAY THAT REPRESENTED THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA, WHEN ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE OF THE YOGA PROGRAM. METHODS: QUALITATIVE DATA WERE COLLECTED AFTER PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED A 16-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION. QUALITATIVE DATA WERE COLLECTED VIA SURVEY, REVIEWED, CODED, AND CATEGORIZED INTO THEMES REPRESENTING EACH OF THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA. RESULTS: OVERALL, 108 PEOPLE WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA INTERVENTION AND 67 INDIVIDUALS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION AND FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS USED IN THESE ANALYSES. THE MEAN AGE OF THE 67 PARTICIPANTS IN THIS STUDY WAS 52.4 YEARS (+/-12.0), THE MAJORITY WERE MALE (70.2%), AND MOST HAD COMBAT-RELATED TRAUMA (62.7%). ALL EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA WERE REPRESENTED IN THE DATA, INCLUDING EACH OF THE FIVE YAMAS AND NIYAMAS, EVEN THOUGH THE YOGA INTERVENTION DID NOT EXPLICITLY INCLUDE SANSKRIT TERMS, DEFINITIONS, OR EDUCATION ABOUT YOGA PHILOSOPHY OR THE EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA. CONCLUSION: RESULTS MAY INDICATE THAT YOGA, EVEN WHEN ONLY INCLUDING POSTURES, BREATHWORK, INTENTIONS, AND RELAXATION/MEDITATION, MAY STILL ADDRESS ALL OF THE YAMAS, NIYAMAS, AND THE OTHER EIGHT LIMBS OF YOGA.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
5 2138  34 THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION IN OLDER ADULTS. BACKGROUND: FEW SCIENTIFIC STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED MOVEMENT-BASED EMBODIED CONTEMPLATIVE PRACTICES SUCH AS YOGA AND THEIR EFFECTS ON COGNITION. THE PURPOSE OF THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION MEASURES OF TASK SWITCHING AND WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY. METHODS: COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS (N = 118; MEAN AGE = 62.0) WERE RANDOMIZED TO ONE OF TWO GROUPS: A HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION OR A STRETCHING-STRENGTHENING CONTROL. BOTH GROUPS PARTICIPATED IN HOUR-LONG EXERCISE CLASSES 3X/WEEK OVER THE 8-WEEK STUDY PERIOD. ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ESTABLISHED TESTS OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTION INCLUDING THE TASK SWITCHING PARADIGM, N-BACK AND RUNNING MEMORY SPAN AT BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCES SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY SHORTER REACTION TIMES ON THE MIXED AND REPEAT TASK SWITCHING TRIALS (PARTIAL ETA(2) = .04, P < .05) FOR THE HATHA YOGA GROUP. HIGHER ACCURACY WAS RECORDED ON THE SINGLE TRIALS (PARTIAL ETA(2) = .05, P < .05), THE 2-BACK CONDITION OF THE N-BACK (PARTIAL ETA(2) = .08, P < .001), AND PARTIAL RECALL SCORES (PARTIAL ETA(2) = .06, P < .01) OF RUNNING SPAN TASK. CONCLUSIONS: FOLLOWING 8 WEEKS OF YOGA PRACTICE, PARTICIPANTS IN THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED PERFORMANCE ON THE EXECUTIVE FUNCTION MEASURES OF WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY AND EFFICIENCY OF MENTAL SET SHIFTING AND FLEXIBILITY COMPARED WITH THEIR STRETCHING-STRENGTHENING COUNTERPARTS. ALTHOUGH THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED, THESE RESULTS DEMAND LARGER SYSTEMATIC TRIALS TO THOROUGHLY EXAMINE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION AS WELL AS ACROSS OTHER DOMAINS OF COGNITION, AND ITS POTENTIAL TO MAINTAIN OR IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN THE AGING PROCESS.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
6 2142  27 THE EFFECTS OF HOT YOGA ON KIDNEY FUNCTION: AN OBSERVATIONAL PILOT AND FEASIBILITY STUDY. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE HEALTH BENEFITS, WHEREAS EXERCISING IN A HOT ENVIRONMENT HAS DELETERIOUS EFFECTS ON KIDNEY FUNCTION. THERE ARE NO LONG-TERM STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF HOT YOGA. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE CHANGES IN RENAL FUNCTION ACUTELY AND OVER TIME BETWEEN PRACTITIONERS OF HOT AND NON-HOT YOGA. URINE AND CAPILLARY SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FOR URINALYSIS, ALBUMIN-CREATININE RATIO, AND SERUM CREATININE AT YOGA STUDIOS PREAND POSTEXERCISE OVER 1 YEAR. THIRTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS IN NON-HOT YOGA AND 19 PARTICIPANTS IN HOT YOGA WERE RECRUITED. DIFFERENCE IN BLOOD CAPILLARY CREATININE (POST-YOGA MINUS PRE-YOGA) SHOWED A 7.52 MUMOL/L (SD 11.46) INCREASE FOR PRACTITIONERS OF HOT YOGA AND A 4.07 MUMOL/L (SD 9.94) INCREASE FOR PRACTITIONERS OF NON-HOT YOGA, WITH A BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE OF 3.45 MUMOL/L (95% CI -0.42, 7.32; P = 0.08). OVER 1 YEAR, THE MEAN DIFFERENCE IN BLOOD CAPILLARY CREATININE FOR THE HOT GROUP INCREASED BY 0.91 MUMOL/L (SD 11.00) AND BY 3.08 MUMOL/L (SD 9.96) FOR THE NON-HOT GROUP, WITH A BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCE OF -2.17 MUMOL/L (95% CI -10.20, 5.86; P = 0.58). OVER 1 YEAR, THE MEAN DIFFERENCE IN ALBUMIN-CREATININE RATIO FOR THE HOT GROUP WAS -0.16 MG/MMOL CREATININE (SD = 0.74); FOR THE NON-HOT GROUP THE DIFFERENCE WAS -0.20 MG/MUMOL (SD = 0.80). THE DIFFERENCE IN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE HOT AND NON-HOT GROUPS WAS 0.04 MG/MUMOL (95% CI -0.60, 0.68; P = 0.90). URINE COLLECTED FOR URINALYSIS COULD NOT BE ANALYZED DUE TO TOO MANY 0 VALUES. THIS PRAGMATIC OBSERVATIONAL STUDY DID NOT FIND A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN RENAL FUNCTION BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS IN NON-HOT AND HOT YOGA EITHER ACUTELY OR OVER 1 YEAR. A LARGER AND LONGER STUDY FOCUSING ON BLOOD CREATININE OVER TIME WOULD HELP TO INFORM THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF HOT YOGA ON THE KIDNEYS.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
7  629  32 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
8 1333  25 HOT YOGA ESTABLISHMENTS IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES SERVING PREGNANT WOMEN: A PILOT STUDY ON THE HEALTH IMPLICATIONS OF ITS PRACTICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. HOT YOGA ESTABLISHMENTS HAVE BEEN INCREASING IN POPULARITY IN LOCAL COMMUNITIES. STUDIOS MAY SUPPORT PARTICIPATION AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN THOUGH NO CLINICAL STUDIES CURRENTLY EXIST THAT EXAMINE PRENATAL HOT YOGA EFFECTS. THE PILOT STUDY DESCRIBED IN THIS ARTICLE AIMED TO ASSESS THE SPREAD OF PRENATAL HOT YOGA AND TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS AND PRACTICES OF THOSE WHO ENGAGE IN HOT YOGA WITHIN A LOCAL COMMUNITY. A THERMAL ENVIRONMENT METER WAS USED TO MEASURE AMBIENT AIR CONDITIONS DURING THREE 90-MINUTE HOT YOGA CLASSES. MOTHERS WHO PRACTICED PRENATAL HOT YOGA WERE MORE LIKELY THAN NON-HOT YOGA PRACTITIONERS TO HAVE SOMEONE ASIDE FROM AN OBSTETRICIAN/GYNECOLOGIST DISCUSS PRENATAL EXERCISE SAFETY WITH THEM. PRENATAL PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS NEED TO BE REFINED. PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS AND OBSTETRICIANS/GYNECOLOGISTS NEED TO BE AWARE THAT THOSE WHO ENGAGE IN A HOT YOGA PRACTICE ARE MORE LIKELY TO TRUST SOMEONE OTHER THAN THEIR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER OR PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REGARDING SAFETY OF THIS PRACTICE.	2014	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
9  690  23 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
10 1698  28 PAIN-RELATED ENCEPHALIC REGIONS INFLUENCED BY YOGA MEDITATION: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW. INTRODUCTION: THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE USE OF YOGA IN PAIN RELIEF ARE STILL UNCLEAR. THIS STUDY REVIEWED LITERATURE REPORTS ON ENCEPHALIC ACTIVITY RELATED TO ANALGESIA INDUCED BY YOGA MEDITATION PRACTICE. METHODS: THIS INTEGRATIVE REVIEW EXAMINED STUDIES PUBLISHED IN THE PUBMED, LILACS AND MEDLINE DATABASES WITHOUT RESTRICTION OF THE YEAR OF PUBLICATION. THE RESEARCH INVOLVED 16 DESCRIPTORS RELATED TO THE WORDS: YOGA, PAIN AND NEUROIMAGING METHODS. INCLUSION CRITERIA INVOLVED ONLY THE PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE ONLINE, WITH FREE ACCESS AND WRITTEN IN ENGLISH. RESULTS: 2 CASE STUDIES AND 1 PILOT STUDY MET THE CRITERIA. YOGA MEDITATION PRACTICE INDUCES ANALGESIA PRIMARILY THROUGH ATTENUATION OF THE MEDIAL PAIN PERCEPTION SYSTEM INCLUDING THE ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX AND INSULA REGIONS, AS WELL AS THE LATERAL SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SECONDARY SENSORY CORTEX AND THALAMUS. CONCLUSION: YOGA INDUCED ANALGESIA IS A POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT ADJUNCT TO CURRENT PAIN MANAGEMENT. THIS INTEGRATIVE REVIEW REVEALED THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH THAT ANALYZES THE ENCEPHALIC REGIONS RELATED TO ANALGESIA INDUCED BY YOGA PRACTICE.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
11  267  27 ACUTE FETAL BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE TO PRENATAL YOGA: A SINGLE, BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (TRY YOGA). BACKGROUND: IN 2012, YOGA WAS PRACTICED BY 20 MILLION AMERICANS, OF WHOM 82% WERE WOMEN. A RECENT LITERATURE REVIEW ON PRENATAL YOGA NOTED A REDUCTION IN SOME PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS (IE, PRETERM BIRTH, LUMBAR PAIN, AND GROWTH RESTRICTION) IN THOSE WHO PRACTICED YOGA; TO DATE, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE ON FETAL RESPONSE AFTER YOGA. OBJECTIVES: WE AIMED TO CHARACTERIZE THE ACUTE CHANGES IN MATERNAL AND FETAL RESPONSE TO PRENATAL YOGA EXERCISES USING COMMON STANDARDIZED TESTS TO ASSESS THE WELL-BEING OF THE MATERNAL-FETAL UNIT. STUDY DESIGN: WE CONDUCTED A SINGLE, BLINDED, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. UNCOMPLICATED PREGNANCIES BETWEEN 28 0/7 AND 36 6/7 WEEKS WITH A NONANOMALOUS SINGLETON FETUS OF WOMEN WHO DID NOT SMOKE, USE NARCOTICS, OR HAVE PRIOR EXPERIENCE WITH YOGA WERE INCLUDED. A COMPUTER-GENERATED SIMPLE RANDOMIZATION SEQUENCE WITH A 1:1 ALLOCATION RATIO WAS USED TO RANDOMIZE PARTICIPANTS INTO THE YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. WOMEN IN THE YOGA GROUP PARTICIPATED IN A 1-TIME, 1 HOUR YOGA CLASS WITH A CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR WHO TAUGHT A PREDETERMINED YOGA SEQUENCE. IN THE CONTROL GROUP, EACH PARTICIPANT ATTENDED A 1-TIME, 1 HOUR POWERPOINT PRESENTATION BY AN OBSTETRICIAN ON AMERICAN CONGRESS OF OBSTETRICIANS AND GYNECOLOGISTS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EXERCISE, NUTRITION, AND OBESITY IN PREGNANCY. ALL PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT PRE- AND POSTINTERVENTION TESTING, WHICH CONSISTED OF UMBILICAL AND UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLER ULTRASOUND, NONSTRESS TESTING, A BIOPHYSICAL PROFILE, MATERNAL BLOOD PRESSURE, AND MATERNAL HEART RATE. A BOARD-CERTIFIED MATERNAL-FETAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST, AT A DIFFERENT TERTIARY CENTER, INTERPRETED ALL NONSTRESS TESTS AND BIOPHYSICAL PROFILE DATA AND WAS BLINDED TO GROUP ASSIGNMENT AND PRE- OR POSTINTERVENTION TESTING. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS A CHANGE IN UMBILICAL ARTERY DOPPLER SYSTOLIC TO DIASTOLIC RATIO. SAMPLE SIZE CALCULATIONS INDICATED 19 WOMEN PER GROUP WOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO DETECT THIS DIFFERENCE IN DOPPLER INDICES (ALPHA, 0.05; POWER, 80%). DATA WERE ANALYZED USING A REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, A CHI(2), AND A FISHER EXACT TEST. A VALUE OF P < .05 WAS CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT. RESULTS: OF THE 52 WOMEN RANDOMIZED, 46 (88%) COMPLETED THE STUDY. THERE WAS NO CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN UMBILICAL ARTERY SYSTOLIC TO DIASTOLIC RATIO (P = .34), PULSATILITY INDEX (P = .53), OR RESISTANCE INDEX (P = .66) BETWEEN THE 2 GROUPS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. FETAL AND MATERNAL HEART RATE, MATERNAL BLOOD PRESSURE, AND UTERINE ARTERY DOPPLERS REMAINED UNCHANGED OVER TIME. WHEN UMBILICAL ARTERY INDICES WERE INDIVIDUALLY COMPARED WITH GESTATIONAL AGE REFERENCES, THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHO IMPROVED OR WORSENED BETWEEN THE GROUPS. CONCLUSION: THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN FETAL BLOOD FLOW ACUTELY AFTER PERFORMING YOGA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PREGNANCY. YOGA CAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR LOW-RISK WOMEN TO BEGIN DURING PREGNANCY.	2016	

12 1711  20 PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND BARRIERS TO YOGA PARTICIPATION AFTER STROKE: A FOCUS GROUP APPROACH. BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: THERE IS INCREASING EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST YOGA CAN BE BENEFICIAL TO HEALTH AND WELLBEING AFTER STROKE. THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY PERCEIVED BENEFITS AND BARRIERS TO YOGA PARTICIPATION AMONG ADULTS WITH CHRONIC STROKE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWENTY-SIX COMMUNITY DWELLING ADULTS (14 FEMALE, 12 MALE) WHO WERE AT LEAST 6-MONTHS POST-STROKE PARTICIPATED IN FOUR FOCUS GROUPS HELD AT LOCAL STROKE RECOVERY MEETINGS. DATA WAS RECORDED AND TRANSCRIPTS WERE ANALYSED THEMATICALLY. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFIED WHOLE BODY BENEFITS, THE RETURN OF CONNECTION AND FEELING HEALTH IN MIND AS THE PRIMARY BENEFITS OF YOGA. PERCEIVED BARRIERS INCLUDED PHYSICAL BARRIERS TO PARTICIPATION, COGNITIVE CHALLENGES, ENVIRONMENTAL ACCESS, AND FINANCIAL LIMITATIONS. CONCLUSION: STROKE SURVIVORS PERCEIVE YOGA PRACTICE PROVIDES BENEFITS IN 'CONNECTEDNESS'. FUTURE INTERVENTIONS SHOULD RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF YOGA INSTRUCTOR TRAINING, FOCUS ON THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION ASPECTS OF YOGA, AND MODIFYING ACTIVITIES TO SAFELY ACCOMMODATE THE PHYSICAL ABILITIES OF THE PARTICIPANTS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
13 2344  34 USING A STANDARDIZED VINIYOGA PROTOCOL FOR LUNG CANCER SURVIVORS: A PILOT STUDY EXAMINING EFFECTS ON BREATHING EASE. ALTHOUGH LUNG CANCER IS PERCEIVED AS A DIRE DIAGNOSIS, INCREASES IN THE 5-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER (NSCLC) HAVE BEEN REPORTED. SURVIVORS, HOWEVER, CONTINUE TO BE EXCESSIVELY BURDENED WITH SYMPTOMS SUCH AS RESPIRATORY DISTRESS WHICH INTERFERE WITH FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. WHILE EXERCISE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED, NSCLC SURVIVORS MAY BE RELUCTANT TO PARTICIPATE DUE TO ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED SHORTNESS OF BREATH EXACERBATED WITH MOVEMENT.THIS QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL, INTERVENTION-ONLY PILOT STUDY AIMED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK STANDARDIZED YOGA PROTOCOL FOR STAGE I-IIIA NSCLC SURVIVORS (N=9). THE PROTOCOL WAS DEVELOPED WITHIN THE VINIYOGA (HATHA) TRADITION WITH RESPIRATORY EXPERTS. BREATHING EASE, DYSPNEA, OXYGEN SATURATION, AND RESPIRATORY FUNCTION WERE EXPLORED IN RELATIONSHIP TO YOGA PRACTICE (45-MINUTE SESSIONS ONCE PER WEEK AND HOME PRACTICE) USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANALYSIS. NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS REPORTING DYSPNEA RANGED FROM 25 TO 50% PRIOR TO PRACTICE WITH NO SIGNIFICANT INCREASE DURING SESSIONS, AND MODERATE DECREASES NOTED AT TIMES. OXYGEN SATURATION REMAINED HIGH AND VITAL SIGNS STABLE; FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN 1 SECOND (FEV1) VALUES INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE 14-WEEK STUDY PERIOD (P<0.0001). YOGA, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON POSTURES COORDINATED WITH BREATHING AND MEDITATION PRACTICES, OFFERS A POTENTIALLY FEASIBLE AND BENEFICIAL OPTION THAT REQUIRES FURTHER STUDY IN THIS POPULATION.	2013	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
14 2067  30 THE CONSCIOUSNESS STATE OF TRADITIONAL NIDRA YOGA/MODERN YOGA NIDRA: PHENOMENOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND PRELIMINARY INSIGHTS FROM AN EEG STUDY. NIDRA YOGA IS AN ANCIENT YOGIC PRACTICE CAPABLE OF INDUCING ALTERED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS CHARACTERIZED BY DEEP RELAXATION, STRONG CONCENTRATION, ACUTE SELF-AWARENESS, AND JOY. IN MODERN CONTEMPLATIVE NEUROSCIENCE LANGUAGE, IT IS KNOWN BY THE NAME YOGA NIDRA, AND FEW STUDIES HAVE INVESTIGATED ITS PHENOMENOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS. SIX HEALTHY VOLUNTEERS (FOUR FEMALES AGED 31-74) PERFORMED 12 YOGA NIDRA SESSIONS GUIDED BY AN EXPERT DURING A 6-DAY RETREAT. EACH SESSION CONSISTED OF 10 MINUTES IN A RESTING STATE (BASELINE) FOLLOWED BY 2 HOURS OF YOGA NIDRA. PSYCHOMETRIC DATA REGARDING DISSOCIATIVE EXPERIENCES (CLINICIAN ADMINISTERED DISSOCIATIVE STATES SCALE) AND THE STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONSCIOUSNESS INVENTORY) WERE COLLECTED AFTER BASELINE AND YOGA NIDRA, WHILE HIGH-DENSITY EEG WAS RECORDED DURING THE ENTIRE SESSION. DURING NIDRA SESSIONS, NO SLEEP HALLMARKS (I.E., K-COMPLEXES AND SLEEP SPINDLES) WERE DETECTED BY THE EEG IN ANY SUBJECT. PSYCHOMETRIC DATA WE RE ANALYZED USING A WILCOXON SIGNED-RANK TEST CORRECTED WITH THE FALSE DISCOVERY RATE APPROACH FOR MULTIPLE COMPARISONS. COMPARED TO BASELINE, YOGA NIDRA PRACTICE WAS RELATED TO: (1) INCREASED DISSOCIATIVE EFFECTS (P = 0.022); (2) PERCEPTION OF BEING IN AN ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS (P = 0.026); (3) ALTERATIONS IN PERCEIVED BODY IMAGE (P = 0.022); (4) INCREASED "MEANINGFULNESS" ATTRIBUTED TO THE EXPERIENCE (P = 0.026); (5) REDUCED RATIONAL THINKING (P = 0.029); AND (6) REDUCED VOLITIONAL THOUGHT CONTROL (P = 0.026). FIRST-PERSON EXPERIENCE IS DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO DESCRIPTIVE EEG POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY ANALYSIS, WHICH WAS PERFORMED IN ONE SUBJECT BECAUSE OF SEVERE EEG ARTIFACTS IN THE OTHER RECORDINGS; THAT SUBJECT SHOWED, COMPARED TO BASELINE: (1) EARLY INCREASE OF ALPHA AND BETA POWER, FOLLOWED BY A PROGRESSIVE WIDESPREAD REDUCTION; (2) WIDESPREAD EARLY INCREASE OF THETA POWER, FOLLOWED BY A PROGRESSIVE REDUCTION; AND (3) WIDESPREAD INCREASE OF GAMMA POWER IN THE LATEST STAGES. THE PRESENT PRELIMINARY RESULTS ENRICH THE KNOWLEDGE OF YOGA NIDRA, ELUCIDATING ITS PHENOMENOLOGY AND SUGGESTING SOME PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES THAT FUTURE STUDIES MAY ADDRESS.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
15 2369  43 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
16 2045  26 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
17 1961  29 SELF-REPORTED BENEFITS AND ADVERSE OUTCOMES OF HOT YOGA PARTICIPATION. BACKGROUND: THERE IS LITTLE TO NO SCIENTIFIC DATA ABOUT THE HEALTH BENEFITS OR RISKS TO PARTICIPATING IN HOT YOGA, IN PARTICULAR DISTINGUISHING IT FROM THE PRACTICE OF NON-HOT YOGA. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMS TO PROVIDE SOME PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE ABOUT THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN HOT YOGA. FUTURE STUDIES WILL BE ABLE TO BUILD OFF THE FINDINGS HEREIN. METHODS: THIS STUDY UTILIZED ONLINE SURVEY SOFTWARE (QUALTRICS) AND RECRUITED PARTICIPANTS THROUGH CONVENIENCE SAMPLING (N = 157) BY TARGETING YOGA WEBSITES AND ONLINE FORUMS. AS THERE IS CURRENTLY NO KNOWN QUESTIONNAIRE THAT HAS BEEN DEVELOPED TO ASSESS THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF HOT YOGA PARTICIPATION, AN EXPLORATORY MEASURE WAS DESIGNED TO GAIN MORE DETAILED RESPONSES FROM PARTICIPANTS. DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ANALYSES WE RE CONDUCTED. RESULTS: PARTICIPANTS OF HOT YOGA HAD A NUMBER OF PRE-EXISTING HEALTH CONDITIONS. BOTH BENEFITS AND ADVERSE OUTCOMES WERE REPORTED. THE MOST FREQUENTLY REPORTED HEALTH BENEFITS OF HOT YOGA IN THIS SAMPLE INCLUDED INCREASED FLEXIBILITY (63%), IMPROVED MOOD (58%), INCREASED FITNESS (43%), AND IMPROVED STAMINA (42%). JUST OVER HALF OF THE PARTICIPANTS REPORTED SOME SORT OF ADVERSE EVENT DURING A HOT YOGA SESSION (N = 82). THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED ADVERSE EVENTS INCLUDED DIZZINESS (60%), FEELING LIGHT HEADED (61%), NAUSEA (35%), AND DEHYDRATION (34%), AMONGST OTHERS. CONCLUSIONS: FURTHER STUDY ON THE RISKS AND BENEFITS OF HOT YOGA PARTICIPATION IS REQUIRED.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
18  588  40 DETERMINING PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGIC MARKERS OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PERSONS DIAGNOSED WITH PTSD: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. THERE IS A GROWING BODY OF RESEARCH ON YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) ACCOMPANIED BY SPECULATIONS ON UNDERLYING PHYSIOLOGIC MECHANISMS. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW IS TO IDENTIFY, QUALITATIVELY EVALUATE, AND SYNTHESIZE STUDIES OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR PTSD THAT MEASURED PHYSIOLOGIC OUTCOMES IN ORDER TO GAIN INSIGHTS INTO POTENTIAL MECHANISMS. THE FOCUS IS ON STUDIES EVALUATING YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR PTSD RATHER THAN FOR TRAUMA EXPOSURE, PTSD PREVENTION, OR SUBCLINICAL PTSD. MULTIPLE DATABASES WERE SEARCHED FOR PUBLICATIONS FROM THE PAST TWO DECADES USING TERMS DERIVED FROM THE QUESTION, "IN PEOPLE WITH PTSD, WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON OBJECTIVE OUTCOMES?" ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA INCLUDED YOGA-ONLY MODALITIES TESTED AS AN INTERVENTION FOR FORMALLY DIAGNOSED PTSD WITH AT LEAST ONE PHYSIOLOGIC OUTCOME. RESULTS OF THIS REVIEW CONFIRMED THAT, THOUGH MUCH OF THE PUBLISHED LITERATURE PROPOSES PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING YOGA'S EFFECTS ON PTSD, VERY FEW STUDIES ( N = 3) HAVE ACTUALLY EVALUATED PHYSIOLOGICAL EVIDENCE. ADDITIONALLY, SEVERAL STUDIES HAD METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS. IN LIGHT OF THE LIMITED DATA SUPPORTING YOGA'S BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM DYSREGULATION, WE PRESENT A THEORETICAL MODEL OF THE PSYCHONEUROIMMUNOLOGIC PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH PTSD AND THE EFFECTS YOGA MAY HAVE ON THESE PROCESSES TO GUIDE FUTURE RESEARCH. GAPS IN THE LITERATURE REMAIN FOR MECHANISMS RELATED TO ACTIVATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL AXIS AND INFLAMMATION. ADDITIONAL RIGOROUS MECHANISTIC STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO GUIDE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR PTSD TO AUGMENT EXISTING EVIDENCE-BASED PTSD TREATMENTS.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
19 2001  23 STRESS, INFLAMMATION, AND YOGA PRACTICE. OBJECTIVE: TO ADDRESS THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING HATHA YOGA'S POTENTIAL STRESS-REDUCTION BENEFITS, WE COMPARED INFLAMMATORY AND ENDOCRINE RESPONSES OF NOVICE AND EXPERT YOGA PRACTITIONERS BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A RESTORATIVE HATHA YOGA SESSION, AS WELL AS IN TWO CONTROL CONDITIONS. STRESSORS BEFORE EACH OF THE THREE CONDITIONS PROVIDED DATA ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH YOGA SPEEDED AN INDIVIDUAL'S PHYSIOLOGICAL RECOVERY. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 50 HEALTHY WOMEN (MEAN AGE, 41.32 YEARS; RANGE, 30-65 YEARS), 25 NOVICES AND 25 EXPERTS, WERE EXPOSED TO EACH OF THE CONDITIONS (YOGA, MOVEMENT CONTROL, AND PASSIVE-VIDEO CONTROL) DURING THREE SEPARATE VISITS. RESULTS: THE YOGA SESSION BOOSTED PARTICIPANTS' POSITIVE AFFECT COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL CONDITIONS, BUT NO OVERALL DIFFERENCES IN INFLAMMATORY OR ENDOCRINE RESPONSES WERE UNIQUE TO THE YOGA SESSION. IMPORTANTLY, EVEN THOUGH NOVICES AND EXPERTS DID NOT DIFFER ON KEY DIMENSIONS, INCLUDING AGE, ABDOMINAL ADIPOSITY, AND CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS, NOVICES' SERUM INTERLEUKIN (IL)-6 LEVELS WERE 41% HIGHER THAN THOSE OF EXPERTS ACROSS SESSIONS, AND THE ODDS OF A NOVICE HAVING DETECTABLE C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (CRP) WERE 4.75 TIMES AS HIGH AS THAT OF AN EXPERT. DIFFERENCES IN STRESS RESPONSES BETWEEN EXPERTS AND NOVICES PROVIDED ONE PLAUSIBLE MECHANISM FOR THEIR DIVERGENT SERUM IL-6 DATA; EXPERTS PRODUCED LESS LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-STIMULATED IL-6 IN RESPONSE TO THE STRESSOR THAN NOVICES, AND IL-6 PROMOTES CRP PRODUCTION. CONCLUSION: THE ABILITY TO MINIMIZE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES TO STRESSFUL ENCOUNTERS INFLUENCES THE BURDEN THAT STRESSORS PLACE ON AN INDIVIDUAL. IF YOGA DAMPENS OR LIMITS STRESS-RELATED CHANGES, THEN REGULAR PRACTICE COULD HAVE SUBSTANTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
20 1639  41 MODULATION OF IMMUNE RESPONSES IN STRESS BY YOGA. STRESS IS A CONSTANT FACTOR IN TODAY'S FASTPACED LIFE THAT CAN JEOPARDIZE OUR HEALTH IF LEFT UNCHECKED. IT IS ONLY IN THE LAST HALF CENTURY THAT THE ROLE OF STRESS IN EVERY AILMENT FROM THE COMMON COLD TO AIDS HAS BEEN EMPHASIZED, AND THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS HAVE BEEN STUDIED. STRESS INFLUENCES THE IMMUNE RESPONSE PRESUMABLY THROUGH THE ACTIVATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS, HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY-GONADAL AXIS, AND THE SYMPATHETIC-ADRENAL-MEDULLARY SYSTEM. VARIOUS NEUROTRANSMITTERS, NEUROPEPTIDES, HORMONES, AND CYTOKINES MEDIATE THESE COMPLEX BIDIRECTIONAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS) AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM. THE EFFECTS OF STRESS ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSES RESULT IN ALTERATIONS IN THE NUMBER OF IMMUNE CELLS AND CYTOKINE DYSREGULATION. VARIOUS STRESS MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES SUCH AS MEDITATION, YOGA, HYPNOSIS, AND MUSCLE RELAXATION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF STRESS IN CANCERS AND HIV INFECTION. THIS REVIEW AIMS TO DISCUSS THE EFFECT OF STRESS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND EXAMINE HOW RELAXATION TECHNIQUES SUCH AS YOGA AND MEDITATION COULD REGULATE THE CYTOKINE LEVELS AND HENCE, THE IMMUNE RESPONSES DURING STRESS.	2008