1 1089 133 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM, GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC-ACID, AND ALLOSTASIS IN EPILEPSY, DEPRESSION, AND POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. A THEORY IS PROPOSED TO EXPLAIN THE BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICES IN DIVERSE, FREQUENTLY COMORBID MEDICAL CONDITIONS BASED ON THE CONCEPT THAT YOGA PRACTICES REDUCE ALLOSTATIC LOAD IN STRESS RESPONSE SYSTEMS SUCH THAT OPTIMAL HOMEOSTASIS IS RESTORED. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT STRESS INDUCES (1) IMBALANCE OF THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (ANS) WITH DECREASED PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (PNS) AND INCREASED SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM (SNS) ACTIVITY, (2) UNDERACTIVITY OF THE GAMMA AMINO-BUTYRIC ACID (GABA) SYSTEM, THE PRIMARY INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEM, AND (3) INCREASED ALLOSTATIC LOAD. IT IS FURTHER HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA-BASED PRACTICES (4) CORRECT UNDERACTIVITY OF THE PNS AND GABA SYSTEMS IN PART THROUGH STIMULATION OF THE VAGUS NERVES, THE MAIN PERIPHERAL PATHWAY OF THE PNS, AND (5) REDUCE ALLOSTATIC LOAD. DEPRESSION, EPILEPSY, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD), AND CHRONIC PAIN EXEMPLIFY MEDICAL CONDITIONS THAT ARE EXACERBATED BY STRESS, HAVE LOW HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV) AND LOW GABAERGIC ACTIVITY, RESPOND TO PHARMACOLOGIC AGENTS THAT INCREASE ACTIVITY OF THE GABA SYSTEM, AND SHOW SYMPTOM IMPROVEMENT IN RESPONSE TO YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS. THE OBSERVATION THAT TREATMENT RESISTANT CASES OF EPILEPSY AND DEPRESSION RESPOND TO VAGAL NERVE STIMULATION CORROBORATES THE NEED TO CORRECT PNS UNDERACTIVITY AS PART OF A SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT PLAN IN SOME CASES. ACCORDING TO THE PROPOSED THEORY, THE DECREASED PNS AND GABAERGIC ACTIVITY THAT UNDERLIES STRESS-RELATED DISORDERS CAN BE CORRECTED BY YOGA PRACTICES RESULTING IN AMELIORATION OF DISEASE SYMPTOMS. THIS HAS FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS FOR THE INTEGRATION OF YOGA-BASED PRACTICES IN THE TREATMENT OF A BROAD ARRAY OF DISORDERS EXACERBATED BY STRESS.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
2 1105  38 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
3 2504  28 YOGA ASANA SESSIONS INCREASE BRAIN GABA LEVELS: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO COMPARE CHANGES IN BRAIN GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC (GABA) LEVELS ASSOCIATED WITH AN ACUTE YOGA SESSION VERSUS A READING SESSION. IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT AN INDIVIDUAL YOGA SESSION WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE IN BRAIN GABA LEVELS. DESIGN: THIS IS A PARALLEL-GROUPS DESIGN. SETTINGS/LOCATION: SCREENINGS, SCAN ACQUISITIONS, AND INTERVENTIONS TOOK PLACE AT MEDICAL SCHOOL-AFFILIATED CENTERS. SUBJECTS: THE SAMPLE COMPRISED 8 YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND 11 COMPARISON SUBJECTS. INTERVENTIONS: YOGA PRACTITIONERS COMPLETED A 60-MINUTE YOGA SESSION AND COMPARISON SUBJECTS COMPLETED A 60-MINUTE READING SESSION. OUTCOME MEASURES: GABA-TO-CREATINE RATIOS WERE MEASURED IN A 2-CM AXIAL SLAB USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPIC IMAGING IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER INTERVENTIONS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A 27% INCREASE IN GABA LEVELS IN THE YOGA PRACTITIONER GROUP AFTER THE YOGA SESSION (0.20 MMOL/KG) BUT NO CHANGE IN THE COMPARISON SUBJECT GROUP AFTER THE READING SESSION ( -0.001 MMOL/KG) (T = -2.99, DF = 7.87, P = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: THESE FINDINGS DEMONSTRATE THAT IN EXPERIENCED YOGA PRACTITIONERS, BRAIN GABA LEVELS INCREASE AFTER A SESSION OF YOGA. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE PRACTICE OF YOGA SHOULD BE EXPLORED AS A TREATMENT FOR DISORDERS WITH LOW GABA LEVELS SUCH AS DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS. FUTURE STUDIES SHOULD COMPARE YOGA TO OTHER FORMS OF EXERCISE TO HELP DETERMINE WHETHER YOGA OR EXERCISE ALONE CAN ALTER GABA LEVELS.	2007	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
4 2886  39 YOGA: BALANCING THE EXCITATION-INHIBITION EQUILIBRIUM IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL DISTURBANCES ARE CENTRAL TO MOST PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. A DISEQUILIBRIUM WITHIN THE CORTICAL EXCITATORY AND INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEMS UNDERLIES THESE DEFICITS. GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA) AND GLUTAMATE ARE THE MOST ABUNDANT EXCITATORY AND INHIBITORY NEUROTRANSMITTERS IN THE BRAIN THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THIS EQUILIBRIUM. SEVERAL CONTEMPORARY THERAPIES USED IN TREATING PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, REGULATE THIS GABA-GLUTAMATE BALANCE. YOGA HAS BEEN STUDIED AS AN ADJUVANT TREATMENT ACROSS A BROAD RANGE OF PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS AND IS SHOWN TO HAVE SHORT-TERM THERAPEUTIC GAINS. EMERGING EVIDENCE FROM RECENT CLINICAL IN VIVO EXPERIMENTS SUGGESTS THAT YOGA IMPROVES GABA-MEDIATED CORTICAL-INHIBITORY TONE AND ENHANCES PERIPHERAL OXYTOCIN LEVELS. THIS IS LIKELY TO HAVE A MORE CONTROLLED DOWNSTREAM RESPONSE OF THE HYPOTHALAMO-PITUITARY-ADRENAL SYSTEM BY MEANS OF REDUCED CORTISOL RELEASE AND HENCE A BLUNTED SYMPATHETIC RESPONSE TO STRESS. ANIMAL AND EARLY FETAL DEVELOPMENTAL STUDIES SUGGEST AN INTER-DEPENDENT ROLE OF OXYTOCIN AND GABA IN REGULATING SOCIAL BEHAVIORS. IN KEEPING WITH THESE OBSERVATIONS, WE PROPOSE AN INTEGRATED NEUROBIOLOGICAL MODEL TO STUDY THE MECHANISMS OF THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS WITH YOGA. APART FROM PROVIDING A NEUROSCIENTIFIC BASIS FOR APPLYING A TRADITIONAL SYSTEM OF PRACTICE IN THE CLINICAL SETTING, THIS MODEL CAN BE USED AS A FRAMEWORK FOR STUDYING YOGA MECHANISMS IN FUTURE CLINICAL TRIALS.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
5 1667  26 NEUROCHEMICAL AND NEUROANATOMICAL PLASTICITY FOLLOWING MEMORY TRAINING AND YOGA INTERVENTIONS IN OLDER ADULTS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY POPULAR APPROACHES TO AMELIORATE AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE, BUT THEIR UNDERLYING NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL EFFICIENCY HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY ELUCIDATED. THE PRESENT STUDY EXPLORED BRAIN PLASTICITY ASSOCIATED WITH TWO BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTIONS, MEMORY ENHANCEMENT TRAINING (MET) AND A MIND-BODY PRACTICE (YOGIC MEDITATION), IN HEALTHY SENIORS WITH MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (MCI) USING STRUCTURAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (S-MRI) AND PROTON MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY ((1)H-MRS). SENIOR PARTICIPANTS (AGE >/=55 YEARS) WITH MCI WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE MET OR YOGIC MEDITATION INTERVENTIONS. FOR BOTH INTERVENTIONS, PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED EITHER MET TRAINING OR KUNDALINI YOGA (KY) FOR 60-MIN SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS, WITH 12-MIN DAILY HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS. GRAY MATTER VOLUME AND METABOLITE CONCENTRATIONS IN THE DORSAL ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX (DACC) AND BILATERAL HIPPOCAMPUS WERE MEASURED BY STRUCTURAL MRI AND (1)H-MRS AT BASELINE AND AFTER 12 WEEKS OF TRAINING. METABOLITES MEASURED INCLUDED GLUTAMATE-GLUTAMINE (GLX), CHOLINE-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS (CHO, INCLUDING GLYCEROPHOSPHOCHOLINE AND PHOSPHOCHOLINE), GAMMA-AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA), AND N-ACETYL ASPARTATE AND N-ACETYLASPARTYL-GLUTAMATE (NAA-NAAG). IN TOTAL, 11 PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED MET AND 14 COMPLETED YOGIC MEDITATION FOR THIS STUDY. STRUCTURAL MRI ANALYSIS SHOWED AN INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME AND GROUP IN DACC, INDICATING A TREND TOWARDS INCREASED GRAY MATTER VOLUME AFTER THE MET INTERVENTION. (1)H-MRS ANALYSIS SHOWED AN INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME AND GROUP IN CHOLINE-CONTAINING COMPOUNDS IN BILATERAL HIPPOCAMPUS, INDUCED BY SIGNIFICANT DECREASES AFTER THE MET INTERVENTION. THOUGH PRELIMINARY, OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT MEMORY TRAINING INDUCES STRUCTURAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL PLASTICITY IN SENIORS WITH MCI. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE WHETHER MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS LIKE YOGA YIELD SIMILAR NEUROPLASTIC CHANGES.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
6 2041  35 THALAMIC GAMMA AMINOBUTYRIC ACID LEVEL CHANGES IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AFTER A 12-WEEK IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING INTERVENTION. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE IF A 12-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (YI) WAS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED GAMMA AMINOBUTYRIC ACID (GABA) LEVELS AND DECREASED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS IN PARTICIPANTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD). METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A HIGH-DOSE GROUP (HDG) OF THREE YIS A WEEK AND A LOW-DOSE GROUP (LDG) OF TWO YIS A WEEK. THALAMIC GABA LEVELS WERE OBTAINED USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY AT SCAN-1 BEFORE RANDOMIZATION. AFTER THE ASSIGNED 12-WEEK INTERVENTION, SCAN-2 WAS OBTAINED, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A YI AND SCAN-3. BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY II (BDI-II) SCORES WERE OBTAINED BEFORE SCAN-1 AND SCAN-3. SETTINGS/LOCATION: SCREENINGS AND INTERVENTIONS OCCURRED AT THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER. IMAGING OCCURRED AT MCLEAN HOSPITAL. SUBJECTS: SUBJECTS MET CRITERIA FOR MDD. INTERVENTION: NINETY MINUTES OF IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING AT FIVE BREATHS PER MINUTE PLUS HOMEWORK. OUTCOME MEASURES: GABA LEVELS AND THE BDI-II. RESULTS: BDI-II SCORES IMPROVED SIGNIFICANTLY IN BOTH GROUPS. GABA LEVELS FROM SCAN-1 TO SCAN-3 AND FROM SCAN-2 TO SCAN-3 WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE LDG (N = 15) AND SHOWED A TREND IN THE TOTAL COHORT. POST HOC, PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS BASED ON HAVING AN INCREASE IN GABA LEVELS AT SCAN-2. INCREASES IN SCAN-2 GABA LEVELS WERE OBSERVED IN PARTICIPANTS WHOSE MEAN TIME BETWEEN THEIR LAST YI AND SCAN-2 WAS 3.93 +/- 2.92 STANDARD DEVIATION (SD) DAYS, BUT NOT IN THOSE WHOSE MEAN TIME BETWEEN THEIR LAST YI AND SCAN-2 WAS 7.83 +/- 6.88 SD. CONCLUSIONS: THIS STUDY TENTATIVELY SUPPORTS THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ONE OF THE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH YOGA IMPROVES MOOD IS BY INCREASING THE ACTIVITY OF THE GABA SYSTEM. THE OBSERVED INCREASE IN GABA LEVELS FOLLOWING A YI THAT WAS NO LONGER OBSERVED 8 DAYS AFTER A YI SUGGESTS THAT THE ASSOCIATED INCREASE IN GABA AFTER A YI IS TIME LIMITED SUCH THAT AT LEAST ONE YI A WEEK MAY BE NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN THE ELEVATED GABA LEVELS.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
7 2608  19 YOGA FOR PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS: FROM FAD TO EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTION? THERE IS GROWING EVIDENCE FOR YOGA'S NEUROBIOLOGICAL EFFECTS IN PEOPLE WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. POSTULATED MECHANISMS OF ACTION INCLUDE: (A) MODULATION OF THE HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL (HPA) AXIS; (B) ENHANCEMENT OF GABAERGIC NEUROTRANSMISSION; (C) AUTONOMIC MODULATION; AND (D) NEUROENDOCRINOLOGICAL EFFECTS. YOGA AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS APPEARS PROMISING AND MERITS FURTHER ATTENTION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE AND RESEARCH.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
8 2196  32 THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF YOGA IN MANAGING HYPERTENSION. HYPERTENSION IS A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSES OF PREMATURE MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. YOGA IS A TRADITIONAL INDIAN PRACTICE THAT HAS BEEN ADAPTED FOR USE IN COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND MAINLY INCLUDES PHYSICAL POSTURES, BREATHING TECHNIQUES, AND MEDITATION. THE IMPACT OF YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION FOR HYPERTENSION HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED IN A NUMBER OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS; WITH AN OVERALL EFFECT OF ABOUT 10 MMHG REDUCTION IN SYSTOLIC AND ABOUT 8 MMHG REDUCTION IN DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. YOGA SEEMS TO BE EFFECTIVE ONLY FOR HYPERTENSION BUT NOT FOR PREHYPERTENSION; AND ONLY AS AN ADJUNCT TO ANTIHYPERTENSIVE PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT BUT NOT AS AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPY. BREATHING AND MEDITATION RATHER THAN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SEEM TO BE THE ACTIVE PART OF YOGA INTERVENTIONS FOR HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS. THESE PRACTICES CAN INCREASE PARASYMPATHIC ACTIVITY AND DECREASE SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY, ARGUABLY MAINLY BY INCREASING GABA ACTIVITY; THUS COUNTERACTING EXCESS ACTIVITY OF THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM WHICH HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH HYPERTENSION. ALTHOUGH YOGA HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH SERIOUS ADVERSE EVENTS IN SINGLE CASE REPORTS, POPULATION-BASED SURVEYS AS WELL AS CLINICAL TRIALS INDICATE THAT YOGA IS A RELATIVELY SAFE INTERVENTION THAT IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH MORE ADVERSE EVENTS THAN OTHER FORMS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. YOGA CAN THUS BE CONSIDERED A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE INTERVENTION FOR MANAGING HYPERTENSION. GIVEN THE POSSIBLY BETTER RISK/BENEFIT RATIO, IT MAY BE ADVISABLE TO FOCUS ON YOGIC MEDITATION AND/OR BREATHING TECHNIQUES.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
9 2436  25 YOGA AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS: A REVIEW OF BIOMARKER EVIDENCE. TRADITIONALLY, YOGA HAS BEEN USED AS A MEANS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH BUT OVER THE PAST TWO DECADES OR SO ITS THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS HAVE BEEN SCIENTIFICALLY EXPLORED. YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO BE USEFUL AS A MONO-THERAPY IN MILD TO MODERATE DEPRESSION AND AS AN ADJUVANT IN SEVERAL PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS INCLUDING SCHIZOPHRENIA, ANXIETY DISORDERS, SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS AND MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT. FURTHERMORE, SYSTEMATIC ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO UNDERSTAND THE BIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF YOGA IN THESE PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. GIVEN THAT NO PSYCHIATRIC DISORDER HAS STRONG AND ESTABLISHED BIOMARKERS, IT IS INTERESTING THAT PRELIMINARY RESEARCH HAS DEMONSTRATED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CERTAIN IMPORTANT BIOMARKERS FOLLOWING REGULAR YOGA PRACTICE. IN THIS BRIEF REVIEW, WE PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON BIOCHEMICAL, NEURO-PHYSIOLOGICAL AND NEURO-IMAGING RELATED BIO-MARKERS IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. ALTHOUGH FINDINGS AND TRENDS ARE PROMISING, MUCH MORE RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO ESTABLISH A DEFINITE BIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR YOGA IN PSYCHIATRY.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
10   76  26 A HEURISTIC MODEL LINKING YOGA PHILOSOPHY AND SELF-REFLECTION TO EXAMINE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS OF ADD-ON YOGA TREATMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS EFFICACY OF YOGA AS ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA, BUT THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM BY WHICH YOGA IMPROVES THE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD. YOGA IMPROVES SELF-REFLECTION IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, AND SELF-REFLECTION ABNORMALITIES ARE TYPICALLY SEEN IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. HOWEVER, WHETHER YOGA TREATMENT IMPROVES IMPAIRMENTS IN SELF-REFLECTION TYPICALLY SEEN IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IS NOT EXAMINED. THIS PAPER DISCUSSES THE POTENTIAL MECHANISM OF YOGA IN THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND PROPOSES A TESTABLE HYPOTHESIS FOR FURTHER EMPIRICAL STUDIES. IT IS PROPOSED THAT SELF-REFLECTION ABNORMALITIES IN SCHIZOPHRENIA IMPROVE WITH YOGA AND THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CAN BE EXAMINED USING EMPIRICAL BEHAVIOURAL MEASURES AND NEUROIMAGING MEASURES SUCH AS MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
11 1882  32 REDUCING ALLOSTATIC LOAD IN DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DISORDERS: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE AS ADD-ON THERAPIES. THE ALLOSTATIC LOAD (AL) INDEX CONSTITUTES A USEFUL TOOL TO OBJECTIVELY ASSESS THE BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS IN CLINICAL PRACTICE. AL INDEX HAS BEEN POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH CUMULATIVE CHRONIC STRESS (PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESSORS) AND WITH A HIGH RISK TO DEVELOP PATHOLOGICAL CONDITIONS (E.G., METABOLIC SYNDROME, CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY, INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS) AND THE SO-CALLED STRESS-RELATED PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, INCLUDING ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIVE DISORDERS. CHRONIC STRESS HAS NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON BRAIN NEUROPLASTICITY, ESPECIALLY ON HIPPOCAMPAL NEUROGENESIS AND THESE EFFECTS MAY BE REVERSED BY ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENTS. SEVERAL EVIDENCES INDICATE THAT NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS BASED ON PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE MAY ADD SYNERGIZING BENEFITS TO CLASSICAL TREATMENTS (ANTIDEPRESSANT AND BENZODIAZEPINES) FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, REDUCING THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC STRESS. THE AIM OF THIS REVIEW IS TO PROVIDE A GENERAL OVERVIEW OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE ON AL AND CHRONIC STRESS IN RELATION TO DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND YOGA PRACTICE.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
12 2325  23 TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WITH IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DOSING STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THE AIMS OF THIS STUDY WERE TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF AN INTERVENTION OF IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING AT FIVE BREATHS PER MINUTE ON DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND TO DETERMINE OPTIMAL INTERVENTION YOGA DOSING FOR FUTURE STUDIES IN INDIVIDUALS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD). METHODS: SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO THE HIGH-DOSE GROUP (HDG) OR LOW-DOSE GROUP (LDG) FOR A 12-WEEK INTERVENTION OF THREE OR TWO INTERVENTION CLASSES PER WEEK, RESPECTIVELY. ELIGIBLE SUBJECTS WERE 18-64 YEARS OLD WITH MDD, HAD BASELINE BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II) SCORES >/=14, AND WERE EITHER ON NO ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS OR ON A STABLE DOSE OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS FOR >/=3 MONTHS. THE INTERVENTION INCLUDED 90-MIN CLASSES PLUS HOMEWORK. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE BDI-II SCORES AND INTERVENTION COMPLIANCE. RESULTS: FIFTEEN HDG (MAGE = 38.4 +/- 15.1 YEARS) AND 15 LDG (MAGE = 34.7 +/- 10.4 YEARS) SUBJECTS COMPLETED THE INTERVENTION. BDI-II SCORES AT SCREENING AND COMPLIANCE DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.26). BDI-II SCORES DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM SCREENING (24.6 +/- 1.7) TO WEEK 12 (6.0 +/- 3.8) FOR THE HDG (-18.6 +/- 6.6; P < 0.001), AND FROM SCREENING (27.7 +/- 2.1) TO WEEK 12 (10.1 +/- 7.9) IN THE LDG (-17.7 +/- 9.3; P < 0.001). THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GROUPS, BASED ON RESPONSE (I.E., >50% DECREASE IN BDI-II SCORES; P = 0.65) FOR THE HDG (13/15 SUBJECTS) AND LDG (11/15 SUBJECTS) OR REMISSION (I.E., NUMBER OF SUBJECTS WITH BDI-II SCORES <14; P = 1.00) FOR THE HDG (14/15 SUBJECTS) AND LDG (13/15 SUBJECTS) AFTER THE 12-WEEK INTERVENTION, ALTHOUGH A GREATER NUMBER OF SUBJECTS IN THE HDG HAD 12-WEEK BDI-II SCORES </=10 (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: DURING THIS 12-WEEK INTERVENTION OF YOGA PLUS COHERENT BREATHING, DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY IN PATIENTS WITH MDD IN BOTH THE HDG AND LDG. BOTH GROUPS SHOWED COMPARABLE COMPLIANCE AND CLINICAL IMPROVEMENTS, WITH MORE SUBJECTS IN THE HDG EXHIBITING BDI-II SCORES </=10 AT WEEK 12.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
13  226  36 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF RANDOMISED CONTROL TRIALS ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS MEASURES AND MOOD. STRESS RELATED DISORDERS SUCH AS DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY ARE LEADING SOURCES OF DISABILITY WORLDWIDE, AND CURRENT TREATMENT METHODS SUCH AS CONVENTIONAL ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATIONS ARE NOT BENEFICIAL FOR ALL INDIVIDUALS. THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT YOGA HAS MOOD-ENHANCING PROPERTIES POSSIBLY RELATED TO ITS INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS AND INFLAMMATION, WHICH ARE FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH AFFECTIVE DISORDERS. HOWEVER THE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS VIA WHICH YOGA EXERTS ITS THERAPEUTIC MOOD-MODULATING EFFECTS ARE LARGELY UNKNOWN. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND HYPOTHALAMIC PITUITARY ADRENAL AXIS REGULATION MEASURES. IT FOCUSES ON STUDIES COLLECTING PHYSIOLOGICAL PARAMETERS SUCH AS BLOOD PRESSURE, HEART RATE, CORTISOL, PERIPHERAL CYTOKINE EXPRESSION AND/OR STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL BRAIN MEASURES IN REGIONS INVOLVED IN STRESS AND MOOD REGULATION. OVERALL THE 25 RANDOMISED CONTROL STUDIES DISCUSSED PROVIDE PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE LEADS TO BETTER REGULATION OF THE SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AND HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARY-ADRENAL SYSTEM, AS WELL AS A DECREASE IN DEPRESSIVE AND ANXIOUS SYMPTOMS IN A RANGE OF POPULATIONS. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED TO CONFIRM THESE PRELIMINARY FINDINGS AND FACILITATE IMPLEMENTATION IN CLINICAL SETTINGS.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
14 2668  33 YOGA IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND CLINICAL UTILITY. MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) IS A MIND-BODY DISORDER. CELLULAR AGING HAS BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF MDD WITH THE ALTERED MIND-BODY COMMUNICATION MARKERS LIKE STRESS RESPONSE, IMMUNE RESPONSE, NUTRITION SENSING, AND A RANGE OF OTHER REGULATORY FEEDBACK SYSTEMS. IN THIS AGE OF SUPER SPECIALIZATIONS, ONE SPECIFIC TARGET AND INTERVENTIONS (PREFERABLY A DRUG) ON IT ARE BEING RIGOROUSLY SOUGHT BY THE HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY AND INDUSTRY, BUT HAVE FAILED IN IT IN THE LAST FIFTY YEARS IN SPITE OF ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY. SINCE, DEPRESSION IS A COMPLEX DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED INCIDENCE OF OTHER COMPLEX DISORDERS, IT MUST BE TREATED BY AN INTEGRATED HOLISTIC APPROACH THAT CAN ADDRESS THE COMPLEXITY OF MDD. INTERVENTIONS TARGETING ACCELERATED BIOLOGICAL AGING TO INCREASE CELLULAR HEALTH IN WHOLE BODY HAVE POTENTIAL TO MANAGE COMPLEX CONDITIONS LIKE MDD AND ITS OVERLAPPING SYMPTOMS AND COMORBIDITIES. YOGA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE THE NEXUS BETWEEN, CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF MDD AND OTHER LIFESTYLE DISEASES.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
15 1590  21 MEDITATION AND YOGA CAN MODULATE BRAIN MECHANISMS THAT AFFECT BEHAVIOR AND ANXIETY-A MODERN SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE. MEDITATION AND YOGA TECHNIQUES ARE RECEIVING INCREASED ATTENTION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, DUE TO THE ACCUMULATION OF EVIDENCE BASED RESEARCH THAT PROVES THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT BENEFITS OF SUCH PRACTICES. BASED ON STUDIES CONDUCTED SO FAR, IT HAS BEEN FOUND THAT THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION TRIGGERS NEUROTRANSMITTERS THAT MODULATE PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS SUCH AS ANXIETY. THIS PAPER WILL REVIEW THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION, THE ROLE OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS, AND STUDIES USING EEG AND FMRI.	2015	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
16 1639  27 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	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
17  168  24 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DOSING STUDY OF IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING FOR THE TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: IMPACT ON SUICIDAL IDEATION AND SAFETY FINDINGS. BACKGROUND: YOGA INTERVENTIONS OFFER PROMISE FOR THE TREATMENT OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD), YET THEIR SAFETY AND POTENTIAL IMPACT ON SUICIDAL IDEATION (SI) HAVE NOT BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED. THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE SAFETY OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DOSE-FINDING TRIAL OF IYENGAR YOGA PLUS COHERENT BREATHING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH MDD, AS WELL AS THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF THE INTERVENTION ON SI WITHOUT INTENT. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WITH BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II) SCORES >/=14 AND A DIAGNOSIS OF MDD (USING DSM-IV CRITERIA) WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A LOW DOSE GROUP (LDG) OR HIGH DOSE GROUP (HDG) AND RECEIVED A 12-WEEK MANUALIZED INTERVENTION. THE LDG INCLUDED TWO 90-MIN YOGA CLASSES PLUS THREE 30-MIN HOMEWORK SESSIONS WEEKLY. THE HDG OFFERED THREE 90-MIN CLASSES PLUS FOUR 30-MIN HOMEWORK SESSIONS WEEKLY. RESULTS: THIRTY-TWO INDIVIDUALS WITH MDD WERE RANDOMIZED, OF WHICH 30 COMPLETED THE PROTOCOL. AT SCREENING, SI WITHOUT INTENT WAS ENDORSED ON THE BDI-II BY 9 PARTICIPANTS; AFTER COMPLETING THE INTERVENTION, 8 OUT OF 9 REPORTED RESOLUTION OF SI. THERE WERE 17 ADVERSE EVENTS POSSIBLY-RELATED AND 15 DEFINITELY-RELATED TO THE INTERVENTION. THE MOST COMMON PROTOCOL-RELATED ADVERSE EVENT WAS MUSCULOSKELETAL PAIN, WHICH RESOLVED OVER THE COURSE OF THE STUDY. CONCLUSIONS: THE IYENGAR YOGA PLUS COHERENT BREATHING INTERVENTION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE RESOLUTION OF SI IN 8 OUT OF 9 PARTICIPANTS, WITH MILD SIDE EFFECTS THAT WERE PRIMARILY MUSCULOSKELETAL IN NATURE. THIS PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT THIS INTERVENTION MAY REDUCE SI WITHOUT INTENT AND BE SAFE FOR USE IN THOSE WITH MDD.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
18 1918  23 ROLE OF YOGA AND MEDITATION AS COMPLIMENTARY THERAPEUTIC REGIME FOR STRESS-RELATED NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS: UTILIZATION OF BRAIN WAVES ACTIVITY AS NOVEL TOOL. DURING RECENT DECADES, STRESS-RELATED NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS SUCH AS ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, CHRONIC TENSION HEADACHE, AND MIGRAINE HAVE ESTABLISHED THEIR STRONGHOLD IN THE LIVES OF A VAST NUMBER OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE. IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THIS GLOBAL PHENOMENON, INTENSIVE STUDIES HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT LEADING TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF DRUGS LIKE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS, ANXIOLYTICS, AND ANALGESICS WHICH ALTHOUGH HELP IN COMBATING THE SYMPTOMS OF SUCH DISORDERS BUT ALSO CREATE LONG-TERM SIDE EFFECTS. THUS, AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO SUCH CLINICAL PRACTICES, VARIOUS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES SUCH AS YOGA AND MEDITATION HAVE BEEN PROVED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN ALLEVIATING THE CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF DIFFERENT NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. THE ROLE OF ALTERED BRAIN WAVES IN THIS CONTEXT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AND NEEDS TO BE PURSUED AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. THUS, THE CURRENT STUDY PROVIDES A REVIEW FOCUSED ON DESCRIBING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA AND MEDITATION ON ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AS WELL AS EXPLORING BRAIN WAVES AS A TOOL FOR ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL OF THESE COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES FOR SUCH DISORDERS.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
19 2847  32 YOGA, MEDITATION AND MIND-BODY HEALTH: INCREASED BDNF, CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE, AND ALTERED INFLAMMATORY MARKER EXPRESSION AFTER A 3-MONTH YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT. THIRTY-EIGHT INDIVIDUALS (MEAN AGE: 34.8 YEARS OLD) PARTICIPATING IN A 3-MONTH YOGA AND MEDITATION RETREAT WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION FOR PSYCHOMETRIC MEASURES, BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF), CIRCADIAN SALIVARY CORTISOL LEVELS, AND PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES. PARTICIPATION IN THE RETREAT WAS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN SELF-REPORTED ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AS WELL AS INCREASES IN MINDFULNESS. AS HYPOTHESIZED, INCREASES IN THE PLASMA LEVELS OF BDNF AND INCREASES IN THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CORTISOL AWAKENING RESPONSE (CAR) WERE ALSO OBSERVED. THE NORMALIZED CHANGE IN BDNF LEVELS WAS INVERSELY CORRELATED WITH BSI-18 ANXIETY SCORES AT BOTH THE PRE-RETREAT (R = 0.40, P < 0.05) AND POST-RETREAT (R = 0.52, P < 0.005) SUCH THAT THOSE WITH GREATER ANXIETY SCORES TENDED TO EXHIBIT SMALLER PRE- TO POST-RETREAT INCREASES IN PLASMA BDNF LEVELS. IN LINE WITH A HYPOTHESIZED DECREASE IN INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES RESULTING FROM THE YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTICES, WE FOUND THAT THE PLASMA LEVEL OF THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-10 WAS INCREASED AND THE PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE INTERLEUKIN-12 WAS REDUCED AFTER THE RETREAT. CONTRARY TO OUR INITIAL HYPOTHESES, PLASMA LEVELS OF OTHER PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES, INCLUDING INTERFERON GAMMA (IFN-GAMMA), TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF-ALPHA), INTERLEUKIN-1BETA (IL-1BETA), INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), AND INTERLEUKIN-8 (IL-8) WERE INCREASED AFTER THE RETREAT. GIVEN EVIDENCE FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES OF THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF MEDITATIVE PRACTICES ON MENTAL FITNESS, AUTONOMIC HOMEOSTASIS AND INFLAMMATORY STATUS, WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THESE FINDINGS ARE RELATED TO THE MEDITATIVE PRACTICES THROUGHOUT THE RETREAT; HOWEVER, SOME OF THE OBSERVED CHANGES MAY ALSO BE RELATED TO OTHER ASPECTS OF THE RETREAT SUCH AS PHYSICAL EXERCISE-RELATED COMPONENTS OF THE YOGA PRACTICE AND DIET. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT THE PATTERNS OF CHANGE OBSERVED HERE REFLECT MIND-BODY INTEGRATION AND WELL-BEING. THE INCREASED BDNF LEVELS OBSERVED IS A POTENTIAL MEDIATOR BETWEEN MEDITATIVE PRACTICES AND BRAIN HEALTH, THE INCREASED CAR IS LIKELY A REFLECTION OF INCREASED DYNAMIC PHYSIOLOGICAL AROUSAL, AND THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DUAL ENHANCEMENT OF PRO- AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE CHANGES TO HEALTHY IMMUNOLOGIC FUNCTIONING IS DISCUSSED.	2017	

20 2776  36 YOGA SCHOOL OF THOUGHT AND PSYCHIATRY: THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL. YOGA IS A TRADITIONAL LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE USED FOR SPIRITUAL REASONS. HOWEVER, THE PHYSICAL COMPONENTS LIKE THE ASANAS AND PRANAYAAMAS HAVE DEMONSTRATED PHYSIOLOGICAL AND THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS. THERE IS EVIDENCE FOR YOGA AS BEING A POTENT ANTIDEPRESSANT THAT MATCHES WITH DRUGS. IN DEPRESSIVE DISORDER, YOGA 'CORRECTS' AN UNDERLYING COGNITIVE PHYSIOLOGY. IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS, YOGA HAS BENEFITS AS AN ADD-ON INTERVENTION IN PHARMACOLOGICALLY STABILIZED SUBJECTS. THE EFFECTS ARE PARTICULARLY NOTABLE ON NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS. YOGA ALSO HELPS TO CORRECT SOCIAL COGNITION. YOGA CAN BE INTRODUCED EARLY IN THE TREATMENT OF PSYCHOSIS WITH SOME BENEFITS. ELEVATION OF OXYTOCIN MAY BE A MECHANISM OF YOGA EFFECTS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. CERTAIN COMPONENTS OF YOGA HAVE DEMONSTRATED NEUROBIOLOGICAL EFFECTS SIMILAR TO THOSE OF VAGAL STIMULATION, INDICATING THIS (INDIRECT OR AUTOGENOUS VAGAL STIMULATION) AS A POSSIBLE MECHANISM OF ITS ACTION. IT IS TIME, PSYCHIATRISTS EXPLOITED THE BENEFITS IF YOGA FOR A COMPREHENSIVE CARE IN THEIR PATIENTS.	2013