1 2325 144 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 /=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 3 1831 64 PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION, IYENGAR YOGA, AND COHERENT BREATHING: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DOSING STUDY. BACKGROUND: EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT YOGA MAY BE AN EFFECTIVE TREATMENT FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD). STUDIES EVALUATING THE "DOSING" OF YOGA TREATMENT AND EFFICACY FOR MDD ARE NEEDED. THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF AN INTERVENTION COMBINING IYENGAR YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING IN PARTICIPANTS WITH MDD AND DETERMINE THE OPTIMAL INTERVENTION DOSE. METHODS: THIRTY-TWO PARTICIPANTS (18 TO 65 Y OF AGE) DIAGNOSED WITH MDD WERE RANDOMIZED TO A HIGH-DOSE GROUP (HDG) OR A LOW-DOSE GROUP (LDG) OF YOGA AND COHERENT BREATHING FOR 12 WEEKS. THE HDG (N=15) INVOLVED THREE 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES AND FOUR 30-MINUTE HOMEWORK SESSIONS PER WEEK. THE LDG (N=15) INVOLVED TWO 90-MINUTE YOGA CLASSES AND THREE 30-MINUTE HOMEWORK SESSIONS PER WEEK. PARTICIPANTS WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE, WEEK 4, WEEK 8, AND WEEK 12 WITH THE FOLLOWING INSTRUMENTS: POSITIVITY SELF-TEST, SPIELBERGER STATE ANXIETY INVENTORY, PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE-9, PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX, AND EXERCISE-INDUCED FEELING INVENTORY. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING INTENT-TO-TREAT METHODS. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN ALL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE FOUND FOR BOTH GROUPS, WITH ACUTE AND CUMULATIVE BENEFITS. ALTHOUGH THE HDG SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENTS ON ALL SCALES, BETWEEN-GROUP DIFFERENCES DID NOT REACH SIGNIFICANCE, POSSIBLY DUE TO LACK OF POWER BECAUSE OF THE SMALL SAMPLE SIZE. CUMULATIVE YOGA MINUTES WERE CORRELATED WITH IMPROVEMENT IN OUTCOME MEASURES. LIMITATION: THIS DOSING STUDY DID NOT INCLUDE A NON-YOGA CONTROL. CONCLUSIONS: IMPROVEMENT IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS CORRELATED WITH CUMULATIVE YOGA PRACTICE. BOTH INTERVENTIONS REDUCED SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY AND INCREASED FEELINGS OF POSITIVITY. THE TIME COMMITMENT FOR YOGA PRACTICE NEEDS TO BE WEIGHED AGAINST BENEFITS WHEN DESIGNING YOGA INTERVENTIONS. 2019 4 2041 66 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 5 2854 46 YOGA- AND MEDITATION-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION INCREASES NEUROPLASTICITY AND REDUCES SEVERITY OF MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CURRENT INTERVENTIONS FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD) ARE SUBOPTIMAL, AND ONLY ONE THIRD RESPOND TO THEM ON INITIAL TREATMENT. NEUROPLASTICITY THEORIES ARE THE BASIS FOR SEVERAL EMERGING TREATMENTS. EVIDENCE ON THE IMPACT OF YOGA, A WELL-KNOWN MIND-BODY INTERVENTION, ON NEUROPLASTICITY IN MDD IS LIMITED. OBJECTIVES: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF 12-WEEK YOGA- AND MEDITATION-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION (YMLI) ON DEPRESSION SEVERITY AND SYSTEMIC BIOMARKERS OF NEUROPLASTICITY IN ADULT MDD PATIENTS ON ROUTINE DRUG TREATMENT. METHODS: A TOTAL OF 58 MDD PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP. THE SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION WAS ASSESSED WITH BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II SCALE (BDI-II). BLOOD SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER INTERVENTION FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF THE BIOMARKERS THAT CHARACTERIZE NEUROPLASTICITY, INCLUDING MIND-BODY COMMUNICATIVE AND CELLULAR HEALTH BIOMARKERS. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE [DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEANS, (95% CI)] IN BDI-II SCORE [-5.83 (-7.27, -4.39), P < 0.001] AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN BDNF (NG/ML) [5.48 (3.50, 7.46), P < 0.001] AFTER YMLI COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP. YMLI SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED DHEAS, SIRTUIN 1, AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY LEVELS, AND DECREASED CORTISOL, AND IL-6 LEVELS, IN ADDITION TO DECREASING DNA DAMAGE AND BALANCING OXIDATIVE STRESS. MULTIPLE REGRESSION ANALYSES WERE USED TO ASSOCIATE NEUROPLASTICITY BIOMARKERS WITH DEPRESSION SEVERITY. A 'POST-INTERVENTION CHANGE IN BDNF' X 'GROUP' INTERACTION INDICATED THAT YOGA GROUP HAD MORE BDNF IN ASSOCIATION WITH LESS BDI-II SCORES RELATIVE TO CONTROLS. INCREASED SIRTUIN 1 AND TELOMERASE ACTIVITY AND DECREASED CORTISOL SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICTED THIS ASSOCIATION (ALL P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT DECREASE IN DEPRESSION SEVERITY AFTER YMLI IN MDD IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED SYSTEMIC BIOMARKERS OF NEUROPLASTICITY. THUS YMLI CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION IN MDD MANAGEMENT. 2018 6 2318 50 TREATING MAJOR DEPRESSION WITH YOGA: A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT TRIAL. BACKGROUND: CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPIES AND PSYCHOTHERAPIES FOR MAJOR DEPRESSION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LIMITED ADHERENCE TO CARE AND RELATIVELY LOW REMISSION RATES. YOGA MAY OFFER AN ALTERNATIVE TREATMENT OPTION, BUT RIGOROUS STUDIES ARE FEW. THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH BLINDED OUTCOME ASSESSORS EXAMINED AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION AS MONO-THERAPY FOR MILD-TO-MODERATE MAJOR DEPRESSION. METHODS: INVESTIGATORS RECRUITED 38 ADULTS IN SAN FRANCISCO MEETING CRITERIA FOR MAJOR DEPRESSION OF MILD-TO-MODERATE SEVERITY, PER STRUCTURED PSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW AND SCORES OF 14-28 ON BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI). AT SCREENING, INDIVIDUALS ENGAGED IN PSYCHOTHERAPY, ANTIDEPRESSANT PHARMACOTHERAPY, HERBAL OR NUTRACEUTICAL MOOD THERAPIES, OR MIND-BODY PRACTICES WERE EXCLUDED. PARTICIPANTS WERE 68% FEMALE, WITH MEAN AGE 43.4 YEARS (SD = 14.8, RANGE = 22-72), AND MEAN BDI SCORE 22.4 (SD = 4.5). TWENTY PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO 90-MINUTE HATHA YOGA PRACTICE GROUPS TWICE WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS. EIGHTEEN PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO 90-MINUTE ATTENTION CONTROL EDUCATION GROUPS TWICE WEEKLY FOR 8 WEEKS. CERTIFIED YOGA INSTRUCTORS DELIVERED BOTH INTERVENTIONS AT A UNIVERSITY CLINIC. PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS DEPRESSION SEVERITY, MEASURED BY BDI SCORES EVERY 2 WEEKS FROM BASELINE TO 8 WEEKS. SECONDARY OUTCOMES WERE SELF-EFFICACY AND SELF-ESTEEM, MEASURED BY SCORES ON THE GENERAL SELF-EFFICACY SCALE (GSES) AND ROSENBERG SELF-ESTEEM SCALE (RSES) AT BASELINE AND AT 8 WEEKS. RESULTS: IN INTENT-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS, YOGA PARTICIPANTS EXHIBITED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER 8-WEEK DECLINE IN BDI SCORES THAN CONTROLS (P-VALUE = 0.034). IN SUB-ANALYSES OF PARTICIPANTS COMPLETING FINAL 8-WEEK MEASURES, YOGA PARTICIPANTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO ACHIEVE REMISSION, DEFINED PER FINAL BDI SCORE /=2 TIMES/WEEK FOR >/=6 MONTHS, OR 2) "NON-YOGA" NOT ENGAGING IN YOGA. RESULTS: PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) AND BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II) SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT BETWEEN THE YOGA AND NON-YOGA GROUPS (PSS: 8.0 VS. 17.5, RESPECTIVELY, P < 0.05; BDI-II: 1.0 VS. 5.5, RESPECTIVELY, P < 0.05). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE EVIDENT BETWEEN GROUPS FOR INFLAMMATORY MARKERS NOR COMPLEX V OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL ELECTRON TRANSPORT CHAIN. THE ERYTHROCYTE SEDIMENTATION RATE VALUES DIFFERED BETWEEN GROUPS BASED ON CLINICAL CUTOFFS, WITH YOGA PARTICIPANTS CATEGORIZED AS NORMAL (11.0 MM) AND NON-YOGA ABOVE NORMAL (21.5 MM). CONCLUSION: THIS RESEARCH SUPPORTS THAT YOGA PARTICIPATION IS ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER PSS AND BDI-II SCORES BUT DOES NOT SUPPORT A RELATIONSHIP WITH MARKERS OF INFLAMMATION. FURTHER RESEARCH IS WARRANTED. 2021 12 287 30 ADJUNCT YOGA THERAPY: INFLUENCE ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER - A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. HRV IS INVERSELY PROPORTIONAL TO SEVERITY OF DEPRESSION. EFFECT OF 12-WEEKS ADJUNCT YOGA THERAPY ON HRV IN PATIENTS WITH MDD WAS ASSESSED THROUGH A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SIXTY-EIGHT SUBJECTS (40 FEMALES) WITH MEAN AGE 31.58 +/- 8.79 YEARS, SCORING >/= 18 ON HDRS WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER (YG; N = 35) OR (WG; N = 33). LINEAR MIXED MODEL ANALYSIS SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. ON COMPARING CHANGE IN MEAN PERCENTAGE, SUBSTANTIAL MORE DECREASE COULD BE ELICITED ONLY FOR LF/HF RATIO IN YG COMPARED TO WG, WHILE BEING COMPARABLE FOR OTHER VARIABLES ACROSS THE GROUPS. FINDINGS SUGGEST YOGA THERAPY MAY HELP IN BRINGING PARASYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE IN PATIENTS WITH MDD. 2021 13 518 38 COMPARING ONCE- VERSUS TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN IN PREDOMINANTLY LOW INCOME MINORITIES: A RANDOMIZED DOSING TRIAL. BACKGROUND. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT ONCE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES ARE EFFECTIVE FOR CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP) IN WHITE ADULTS WITH HIGH SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS. THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWICE-WEEKLY CLASSES AND GENERALIZABILITY TO RACIALLY DIVERSE LOW INCOME POPULATIONS ARE UNKNOWN. METHODS. WE CONDUCTED A 12-WEEK RANDOMIZED, PARALLEL-GROUP, DOSING TRIAL FOR 95 ADULTS RECRUITED FROM AN URBAN SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND FIVE COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS COMPARING ONCE-WEEKLY (N = 49) VERSUS TWICE-WEEKLY (N = 46) STANDARDIZED YOGA CLASSES SUPPLEMENTED BY HOME PRACTICE. PRIMARY OUTCOMES WERE CHANGE FROM BASELINE TO 12 WEEKS IN PAIN (11-POINT SCALE) AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION (23-POINT MODIFIED ROLAND-MORRIS DISABILITY QUESTIONNAIRE). RESULTS. 82% OF PARTICIPANTS WERE NONWHITE; 77% HAD ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOMES <$40,000. THE SAMPLE'S BASELINE MEAN PAIN INTENSITY [6.9 (SD 1.6)] AND FUNCTION [13.7 (SD 5.0)] REFLECTED MODERATE TO SEVERE BACK PAIN AND IMPAIRMENT. PAIN AND BACK-RELATED FUNCTION IMPROVED WITHIN BOTH GROUPS (P < 0.001). HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ONCE-WEEKLY AND TWICE-WEEKLY GROUPS FOR PAIN REDUCTION [-2.1 (95% CI -2.9, -1.3) VERSUS -2.4 (95% CI -3.1, -1.8), P = 0.62] OR BACK-RELATED FUNCTION [-5.1 (95% CI -7.0, -3.2) VERSUS -4.9 (95% CI -6.5, -3.3), P = 0.83]. CONCLUSIONS. TWELVE WEEKS OF ONCE-WEEKLY OR TWICE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES WERE SIMILARLY EFFECTIVE FOR PREDOMINANTLY LOW INCOME MINORITY ADULTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN. THIS TRIAL IS REGISTERED WITH CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT01761617. 2013 14 945 49 EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEK YOGA VERSUS A 12-WEEK EDUCATIONAL FILM INTERVENTION ON SYMPTOMS OF RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME AND RELATED OUTCOMES: AN EXPLORATORY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. STUDY OBJECTIVES: TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA VERSUS EDUCATIONAL FILM (EF) PROGRAM ON RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS) SYMPTOMS AND RELATED OUTCOMES IN ADULTS WITH RLS. METHODS: FORTY-ONE COMMUNITY-DWELLING, AMBULATORY NONPREGNANT ADULTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE RLS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA (N = 19) OR EF PROGRAM (N = 22). IN ADDITION TO ATTENDING CLASSES, ALL PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED PRACTICE/TREATMENT LOGS. YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO PRACTICE AT HOME 30 MINUTES PER DAY ON NONCLASS DAYS; EF PARTICIPANTS WERE INSTRUCTED TO RECORD ANY RLS TREATMENTS USED ON THEIR DAILY LOGS. CORE OUTCOMES ASSESSED PRETREATMENT AND POSTTREATMENT WERE RLS SYMPTOMS AND SYMPTOM SEVERITY (INTERNATIONAL RLS STUDY GROUP SCALE (IRLS) AND RLS ORDINAL SCALE), SLEEP QUALITY, MOOD, PERCEIVED STRESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL). RESULTS: THIRTY ADULTS (13 YOGA, 17 EF), AGED 24 TO 73 (MEAN = 50.4 +/- 2.4 YEARS), COMPLETED THE 12-WEEK STUDY (78% FEMALE, 80.5% WHITE). POST-INTERVENTION, BOTH GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN RLS SYMPTOMS AND SEVERITY, PERCEIVED STRESS, MOOD, AND QOL-MENTAL HEALTH (P /=55 YEARS OF AGE) WITH MCI WERE RANDOMIZED TO EITHER A 12-WEEK KY INTERVENTION OR MEMORY ENHANCEMENT TRAINING (MET; GOLD-STANDARD, ACTIVE CONTROL). COGNITIVE (I.E. MEMORY AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING) AND MOOD (I.E. DEPRESSION, APATHY, AND RESILIENCE) ASSESSMENTS WERE ADMINISTERED AT BASELINE, 12 WEEKS AND 24 WEEKS. RESULTS: AT BASELINE, 81 PARTICIPANTS HAD NO SIGNIFICANT BASELINE GROUP DIFFERENCES IN CLINICAL OR DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS. AT 12 WEEKS AND 24 WEEKS, BOTH KY AND MET GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MEMORY; HOWEVER, ONLY KY SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING. ONLY THE KY GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND RESILIENCE AT WEEK 12. CONCLUSION: KY GROUP SHOWED SHORT- AND LONG-TERM IMPROVEMENTS IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING AS COMPARED TO MET, AND BROADER EFFECTS ON DEPRESSED MOOD AND RESILIENCE. THIS OBSERVATION SHOULD BE CONFIRMED IN FUTURE CLINICAL TRIALS OF YOGA INTERVENTION FOR TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OF COGNITIVE DECLINE (NCT01983930). 2017 16 978 55 EFFECTS OF BODY-ORIENTED YOGA: A RCT STUDY FOR PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. THE MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER IS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON MENTAL ILLNESSES WORLDWIDE. CURRENT TREATMENT STANDARDS RECOMMEND A COMBINED THERAPY WITH MEDICATION AND PSYCHOTHERAPY. AS AN ADDITIVE COMPONENT AND TO FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS IN TREATMENT, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY SUCH AS YOGA MAY BE INTEGRATED INTO CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE IMPACT OF A 3-MONTH BODY-ORIENTED YOGA IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD). IN TOTAL, N = 83 PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED. AN INTERVENTION GROUP RECEIVED A VIGOROUS ASHTANGA-YOGA THREE TIMES A WEEK. THE WAITING-LIST CONTROL GROUP OBTAINED A TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU). AS A PRIMARY OUTCOME DEPRESSION SCORES (BECK DEPRESSION INVENTORY-II (BDI-II), MONTGOMERY ASBERG DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (MADRS)) WERE TESTED AT THREE TIME POINTS. SECONDARY OUTCOME WAS THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT [POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE AFFECT SCALE (PANAS)] AND REMISSION RATES. TO ANALYZE THE DATA, MULTILEVEL MODELS AND EFFECT SIZES WERE CONDUCTED. THE RESULTS SHOWED AN IMPROVEMENT IN BDI-II SCORES FOR BOTH GROUPS OVER TIME [GAMMA = - 3.46, T(165) = - 7.99, P < 0.001] BUT NOT BETWEEN GROUPS [GAMMA = 0.98, T(164) = 1.12, P = 0.263]. AN INTERACTION EFFECT (TIME X GROUP) OCCURRED FOR MADRS [GAMMA = 2.10, T(164) = 2.10, P < 0.038]. POSITIVE AFFECTS IMPROVED OVER TIME FOR BOTH GROUPS [GAMMA = 1.65, T(165) = 4.03, P < 0.001]. NEGATIVE AFFECTS DECREASED FOR ALL OVER TIME [GAMMA = - 1.00, T(165) = - 2.51, P = 0.013]. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT GROUP DIFFERENCES IN PANAS. POST HOC TESTS REVEALED A GREATER SYMPTOM REDUCTION WITHIN THE FIRST 6 WEEKS FOR ALL MEASUREMENTS. THE EFFECT SIZES FOR DEPRESSION SCORES SHOWED A POSITIVE TREND. REMISSION RATES INDICATED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE YOGA GROUP (BDI-II: 46.81%, MADRS: 17.02%) COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (BDI: 33.33%, MADRS: 8.33%). THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THERE IS A TRENDSETTING ADDITIVE EFFECT OF ASHTANGA-YOGA AFTER 3 MONTHS ON PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND MOOD WITH A GREATER IMPROVEMENT AT THE BEGINNING OF THE INTERVENTION. FURTHER RESEARCH IN THIS FIELD CAN HELP TO ACHIEVE MORE DIFFERENTIATED RESULTS. 2021 17 99 41 A PATIENT WITH ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY-RESISTANT MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER WITH A FULL RESPONSE TO HEATED YOGA: A CASE REPORT. DEPRESSION REMAINS DIFFICULT TO TREAT AS A RESULT OF LESS THAN OPTIMAL EFFICACY AND TROUBLESOME SIDE EFFECTS OF ANTIDEPRESSANTS. THE AUTHORS PRESENT THE CASE OF A PATIENT WITH TREATMENT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION WITH MELANCHOLIC FEATURES WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN UNRESPONSIVE TO ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY (ECT) PLUS AN ANTIDEPRESSANT REGIMEN BUT WHOSE CONDITION FULLY REMITTED WITH THE ADDITION OF A STANDARDIZED FORM OF HEATED HATHA YOGA (HY; BIKRAM YOGA) PRACTICED IN A ROOM HEATED TO 105 DEGREES F. THE PATIENT WAS A 28-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WHO UNDERWENT 8 WEEKS OF HY AS PART OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF HY FOR DEPRESSION WHILE CONTINUING HER ANTIDEPRESSANT TREATMENT. THE PATIENT WAS ASKED TO ATTEND A MINIMUM OF 2 WEEKLY, 90-MINUTE HY CLASSES. AFTER 8 WEEKS (12 CLASSES IN TOTAL), THE PATIENT NO LONGER MET THE CRITERIA FOR A MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODE WITH MELANCHOLIC FEATURES, PER MINI-INTERNATIONAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW (MINI) CRITERIA. HER DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS HAD IMPROVED DRAMATICALLY, WITH INVENTORY OF DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY, CLINICIAN-RATED (IDS-C30), AND HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (HAM-D28) SCORES DECREASING FROM 28 AT BASELINE TO 3, AND FROM 28 AT BASELINE TO 4, RESPECTIVELY, INDICATING REMISSION. THIS PATIENT'S ECT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION REMITTED WITH THE ADDITION OF HY TO HER ANTIDEPRESSANT REGIMEN. BECAUSE OF HER YOUTH AND ATHLETICISM, THIS PATIENT WAS LIKELY WELL SUITED TO THIS RIGOROUS FORM OF YOGA. FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO EXPLORE HY AS A POTENTIAL INTERVENTION FOR TREATMENT-RESISTANT DEPRESSION. 2021 18 2716 48 YOGA MANAGEMENT OF BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHOEDEMA: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED PILOT-TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SECONDARY ARM LYMPHOEDEMA CONTINUES TO AFFECT AT LEAST 20% OF WOMEN AFTER TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER REQUIRING LIFELONG PROFESSIONAL TREATMENT AND SELF-MANAGEMENT. THE HOLISTIC PRACTICE OF YOGA MAY OFFER BENEFITS AS AN ADJUNCT SELF-MANAGEMENT OPTION. THE AIM OF THIS SMALL PILOT TRIAL WAS TO GAIN PRELIMINARY DATA TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON WOMEN WITH STAGE ONE BREAST CANCER-RELATED LYMPHOEDEMA (BCRL). THIS PAPER REPORTS THE RESULTS FOR THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE RANDOMISED, AFTER BASELINE TESTING, TO RECEIVE EITHER AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 15), CONSISTING OF A WEEKLY 90-MINUTE TEACHER-LED CLASS AND A 40-MINUTE DAILY SESSION DELIVERED BY DVD, OR TO A USUAL CARE WAIT-LISTED CONTROL GROUP (N = 13). PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE: ARM VOLUME OF LYMPHOEDEMA MEASURED BY CIRCUMFERENCE AND EXTRA-CELLULAR FLUID MEASURED BY BIOIMPEDANCE SPECTROSCOPY. SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES WERE: TISSUE INDURATION MEASURED BY TONOMETRY; LEVELS OF SENSATIONS, PAIN, FATIGUE, AND THEIR LIMITING EFFECTS ALL MEASURED BY A VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE (VAS) AND QUALITY OF LIFE BASED ON THE LYMPHOEDEMA QUALITY OF LIFE TOOL (LYMQOL). MEASUREMENTS WERE CONDUCTED AT BASELINE, WEEK 8 (POST-INTERVENTION) AND WEEK 12 (FOUR WEEKS AFTER CESSATION OF THE INTERVENTION). RESULTS: AT WEEK 8, THE INTERVENTION GROUP HAD A GREATER DECREASE IN TISSUE INDURATION OF THE AFFECTED UPPER ARM COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.050), AS WELL AS A GREATER REDUCTION IN THE SYMPTOM SUB-SCALE FOR QOL (P = 0.038). THERE WAS NO DIFFERENCE IN ARM VOLUME OF LYMPHOEDEMA OR EXTRA-CELLULAR FLUID BETWEEN GROUPS AT WEEK 8; HOWEVER, AT WEEK 12, ARM VOLUME INCREASED MORE FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION REDUCED TISSUE INDURATION OF THE AFFECTED UPPER ARM AND DECREASED THE QOL SUB-SCALE OF SYMPTOMS. ARM VOLUME OF LYMPHOEDEMA AND EXTRA-CELLULAR FLUID DID NOT INCREASE. THESE BENEFITS DID NOT LAST ON CESSATION OF THE INTERVENTION WHEN ARM VOLUME OF LYMPHOEDEMA INCREASED. FURTHER RESEARCH TRIALS WITH A LONGER DURATION, HIGHER LEVELS OF LYMPHOEDEMA AND LARGER NUMBERS ARE WARRANTED BEFORE DEFINITIVE CONCLUSIONS CAN BE MADE. 2014 19 1863 45 RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA AND EXERCISE IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. OBJECTIVE: TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND OF AEROBIC EXERCISE ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION, FATIGUE, MOOD, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS). METHODS: SUBJECTS WITH CLINICALLY DEFINITE MS AND EXPANDED DISABILITY STATUS SCORE LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 6.0 WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO ONE OF THREE GROUPS LASTING 6 MONTHS: WEEKLY IYENGAR YOGA CLASS ALONG WITH HOME PRACTICE, WEEKLY EXERCISE CLASS USING A STATIONARY BICYCLE ALONG WITH HOME EXERCISE, OR A WAITING-LIST CONTROL GROUP. OUTCOME ASSESSMENTS PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE 6-MONTH PERIOD INCLUDED A BATTERY OF COGNITIVE MEASURES FOCUSED ON ATTENTION, PHYSIOLOGIC MEASURES OF ALERTNESS, PROFILE OF MOOD STATES, STATE-TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, MULTI-DIMENSIONAL FATIGUE INVENTORY (MFI), AND SHORT FORM (SF)-36 HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE. RESULTS: SIXTY-NINE SUBJECTS WERE RECRUITED AND RANDOMIZED. TWELVE SUBJECTS DID NOT FINISH THE 6-MONTH INTERVENTION. THERE WERE NO ADVERSE EVENTS RELATED TO THE INTERVENTION. THERE WERE NO EFFECTS FROM EITHER OF THE ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS ON EITHER OF THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES OF ATTENTION OR ALERTNESS. BOTH ACTIVE INTERVENTIONS PRODUCED IMPROVEMENT IN SECONDARY MEASURES OF FATIGUE COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP: ENERGY AND FATIGUE (VITALITY) ON THE SF-36 AND GENERAL FATIGUE ON THE MFI. THERE WERE NO CLEAR CHANGES IN MOOD RELATED TO YOGA OR EXERCISE. CONCLUSION: SUBJECTS WITH MS PARTICIPATING IN EITHER A 6-MONTH YOGA CLASS OR EXERCISE CLASS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN MEASURES OF FATIGUE COMPARED TO A WAITING-LIST CONTROL GROUP. THERE WAS NO RELATIVE IMPROVEMENT OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN EITHER OF THE INTERVENTION GROUPS. 2004 20 312 44 AN EXPLORATORY RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF A 12-WEEK YOGA VERSUS EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAM FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME: FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY. OBJECTIVES: THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES OF THIS PILOT TRIAL WERE TO ASSESS THE STUDY FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF THE 12-WEEK YOGA AND EDUCATIONAL FILM PROGRAMS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RESTLESS LEGS SYNDROME (RLS) IN PREPARATION FOR A FUTURE RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS PILOT, PARALLEL-ARM, RANDOMIZED FEASIBILITY TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED AT TWO SITES, MORGANTOWN, WV AND COLUMBUS, OH. YOGA GROUP PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED 75-MIN IYENGAR YOGA CLASSES, TWICE WEEKLY FOR 4 WEEKS, THEN ONCE A WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS (16 TOTAL CLASSES), AND COMPLETED A 30-MIN HOMEWORK ROUTINE ON NONCLASS DAYS. EDUCATIONAL FILM GROUP PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED ONCE WEEKLY, 75-MIN CLASSES (12 TOTAL CLASSES), WHICH INCLUDED INFORMATION ON RLS AND OTHER SLEEP DISORDERS, RLS MANAGEMENT INCLUDING SLEEP HYGIENE PRACTICES, AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES. FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OUTCOMES INCLUDED PROGRAM SATISFACTION AND RECRUITMENT, RETENTION, AND ADHERENCE RATES. IN ADDITION, PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED THEIR PREFERENCES REGARDING THREE YOGA CLASS SCHEDULE SCENARIOS FOR A FUTURE STUDY. ATTENDANCE, YOGA, AND TREATMENT LOGS WERE COLLECTED WEEKLY. PROGRAM EVALUATION AND YOGA SCHEDULING QUESTIONNAIRES WERE COLLECTED AT WEEK 12. RESULTS: FORTY-ONE ADULTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE RLS WERE RANDOMIZED TO A 12-WEEK YOGA (N = 19) OR EDUCATIONAL FILM (N = 22) PROGRAM. THIRTY PARTICIPANTS (73%) COMPLETED THE PROGRAM. YOGA AND EDUCATION GROUP PARTICIPANTS ATTENDED AN AVERAGE OF 13.0 +/- 0.84 (81%) AND 10.3 +/- 0.3 CLASSES (85%), RESPECTIVELY. PARTICIPANTS FROM BOTH GROUPS INDICATED SATISFACTION WITH THE STUDY. ALL YOGA GROUP RESPONDENTS TO THE PROGRAM EVALUATION REPORTED THEY WOULD LIKELY (N = 6) OR VERY LIKELY (N = 7) CONTINUE YOGA PRACTICE; 86.7% OF EDUCATION GROUP RESPONDENTS (13 OF 15) INDICATED THAT THEY WERE LIKELY (N = 7) OR VERY LIKELY (N = 6) TO MAKE LASTING CHANGES BASED ON WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED. THE PREFERRED SCHEDULE FOR A FUTURE STUDY WAS A 16-WEEK STUDY WITH ONCE-WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES. CONCLUSIONS: THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT A LARGER RCT COMPARING YOGA WITH AN EDUCATIONAL FILM GROUP FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RLS IS FEASIBLE. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV: NCT03570515; 02/01/2017. 2022