1 1634 163 MODELING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON THE PROGRESSION OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE IN A DISH. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD) ACCOUNTS FOR 80% OF ALL DEMENTIA CASES, MAKING IT THE MOST COMMON FORM OF DEMENTIA. AGING SERVES AS THE MAIN RISK FACTOR FOR AD, BUT EARLY ONSET AD CAN ALSO OCCUR IN INDIVIDUALS YOUNGER THAN 65 YEARS. AD RESULTS FROM PROGRESSIVE NEURODEGENERATION LEADING TO DYSFUNCTIONAL SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION IN THE BRAIN. THE CASCADE HYPOTHESIS OF AD STATES THAT AMYLOID PRECURSOR PROTEIN (APP) METABOLISM BECOMES IMPAIRED EITHER BY MUTATION OR AN INTERLEUKIN-MEDIATED STRESS RESPONSE TO INJURY, RESULTING IN THE SPLICING OF HARMFUL OLIGOMERIC FORMS OF AMYLOID BETA (ABETA). THESE OLIGOMERS DISRUPT EXTRACELLULAR RECEPTOR BINDING, INTRACELLULAR FUNCTION, AND CELLULAR MEMBRANE INTEGRITY. YOGA AND MEDITATIVE PRACTICES SLOW THE PROGRESSION OF THE COGNITIVE DECLINE ASSOCIATED WITH AD. HOWEVER, THE BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THIS THERAPEUTIC EFFECT REMAIN ELUSIVE. HERE, WE INVESTIGATED THE ABILITY OF NEUROTRANSMITTERS RELEASED DURING YOGA AND MEDITATIVE PRACTICES TO RESCUE NEURONS FROM SYNAPTIC DYSFUNCTION IN AN IN VITRO ALZHEIMER'S MODEL CREATED BY CULTURING BASAL FOREBRAIN CHOLINERGIC NEURONS WITH PHYSIOLOGICALLY RELEVANT LEVELS OF THE I-42 ISOFORM OF OLIGOMERIC ABETA (OALPHABETAI-42). WE FOUND THAT THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS DOPAMINE AND HISTAMINE PRODUCE A COOPERATIVE ACTION WITH SEROTONIN TO REVERSE THE LOSS OF CHOLINE ACETYLTRANSFERASE (CHAT) BY OALPHABETAI-42. THE LOSS OF CHAT, THE ENZYME RESPONSIBLE FOR PROCESSING THE CHOLINERGIC NEUROTRANSMITTER ACETYLCHOLINE, CONTRIBUTES TO THE SYNAPTIC DYSFUNCTION EXPERIENCED DURING AD. THESE NEUROTRANSMITTERS INHIBIT NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHESIS CAUSED BY OALPHABETAI-42, PREVENTING OXIDATIVE AND NITROSATIVE STRESS. SEROTONIN ACTIVATES AN ALTERNATE CLEAVAGE OF APP TO PRODUCE A FRAGMENT WITH KNOWN NEUROTROPHIC EFFECTS, GIVING IT THE UNIQUE ABILITY TO INHIBIT THE OALPHABETAI-42 PRODUCTION CYCLE. WE HYPOTHESIZE HERE THAT THESE CONCERTED ACTIONS LEAD TO THE PROTECTION OF CHOLINERGIC SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION IN AD. 2018 2 359 25 ASSOCIATION OF LEUKOCYTE TELOMERE LENGTH WITH OXIDATIVE STRESS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. OBJECTIVE: YOGA IS A MIND-BODY MODULATION TECHNIQUE THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON VARIOUS DISEASES RELATED TO VARIOUS SYSTEMS IN THE BODY. HOWEVER, THE MOLECULAR BASIS OF MECHANISM OF ACTION IS NOT CLEAR. HENCE, THIS STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO STUDY THE LEUKOCYTE TELOMERE BIOLOGY AND ITS RELATION WITH HOMOCYSTEINE AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS IS A PROSPECTIVE CASE-CONTROL STUDY INVOLVING YOGA PRACTITIONERS AGED 30-40 Y WITH MINIMUM OF TWO YEARS YOGA PRACTICE (YOGA GROUP) AND AGE, GENDER AND BODY MASS INDEX MATCHED SEDENTARY HEALTHY GENERAL POPULATION WITH NO MEDICAL PROBLEMS (CONTROL GROUP). LEUKOCYTE TELOMERE LENGTH (LTL) WAS MEASURED BY USING QUANTITATIVE PCR (QPCR), FASTING PLASMA HOMOCYSTEINE WAS MEASURED BY A RAPID HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY ASSAY AND THE OXIDATIVE STRESS WAS ASSESSED WITH TOTAL ANTIOXIDANT STATUS (TAOS), MALONDIALDEHYDE (MDA) MEASURED BY CALORIMETRY. RESULTS: THE LTL WAS SHORTER IN CONTROL GROUP THAN IN YOGA GROUP (P<0.001). THE TAOS WAS MORE IN YOGA GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP (P=0.008), MDA AND HOMOCYSTEINE WAS HIGH IN CONTROL GROUP WHEN COMPARED TO YOGA GROUP (P<0.001). FURTHER, THE LTL WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH TAOS (R=0.841, P<0.001) AND NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH MDA (R=-0.931, P<0.001) AND HOMOCYSTEINE (R=-0.756, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: THE LTL IS WELL-PRESERVED IN PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE YOGA REGULARLY WITH LOWER SYSTEMIC OXIDATIVE STRESS COMPARED TO THOSE WHO HAVE A RELATIVELY SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE DESPITE LACK OF ANY MEDICAL DISORDERS. THE HABITUAL YOGA PRACTICE SEEMS TO INHIBIT REPLICATIVE CELLULAR SENESCENCE. 2015 3 1875 19 REACTION TIME FOLLOWING YOGA BELLOWS-TYPE BREATHING AND BREATH AWARENESS. THE REACTION TIME (RT) WAS ASSESSED IN TWO GROUPS OF HEALTHY MALES, YOGA GROUP (M AGE = 29.0 YR.) AND NON-YOGA OR CONTROL GROUP (M AGE = 29.0 YR.), WITH 35 PARTICIPANTS EACH. THE YOGA GROUP HAD AN AVERAGE EXPERIENCE OF 6 MONTHS, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP WAS YOGA-NAIVE. THE YOGA GROUP WAS ASSESSED IN TWO SESSIONS, (I) BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA OR BELLOWS BREATHING AND (II) BREATH AWARENESS, WHILE THE CONTROL GROUP HAD A SINGLE CONTROL SESSION. THE TWO EXPERIMENTAL SESSIONS, ONE WITH EACH TYPE OF BREATHING, AND THE CONTROL SESSION CONSISTED OF PRE- (5 MIN.), DURING (18 MIN.), AND POST-SESSION EPOCHS (5 MIN.). ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE IN THE PRE- AND POST-SESSION EPOCHS USING A MULTI-OPERATIONAL APPARATUS FOR REACTION TIME. FOLLOWING 18 MIN. OF BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA THERE WAS A STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN NUMBER OF ANTICIPATORY RESPONSES COMPARED TO BEFORE THE PRACTICE. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA IS TO INHIBIT UNNECESSARY RESPONDING TO STIMULI. 2013 4 1361 20 IMMEDIATE STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTS OF YOGA DURING PREGNANCY: ONE GROUP PRE-POST TEST. BACKGROUND: EXCESSIVE STRESS DURING PREGNANCY MAY CAUSE MENTAL DISORDERS IN PREGNANT WOMEN AND INHIBIT FETAL GROWTH. YOGA MAY ALLEVIATE STRESS DURING PREGNANCY. AIM: TO VERIFY THE IMMEDIATE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON STRESS RESPONSE DURING PREGNANCY. METHODS: ONE GROUP PRE-POST TEST WAS CONDUCTED AT A HOSPITAL IN JAPAN. WE RECRUITED 60 HEALTHY PRIMIPARAS WITHOUT COMPLICATIONS AND ASKED THEM TO ATTEND YOGA CLASSES TWICE A MONTH AND TO PRACTICE YOGA AT THEIR HOMES USING DVD 3 TIMES A WEEK FROM 20 GESTATIONAL WEEKS UNTIL CHILDBIRTH. SALIVARY CORTISOL AND ALPHA-AMYLASE CONCENTRATION WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER YOGA CLASSES AT TIME 1 (27-32 GESTATIONAL WEEKS) AND TIME 2 (34-37 GESTATIONAL WEEKS). SUBJECTIVE MOOD WAS ASSESSED USING THE PROFILE OF MOOD STATES. SALIVA VALUES AND MOOD SCORES BEFORE AND AFTER EACH YOGA CLASS WERE COMPARED USING PAIRED T-TEST AND WILCOXON RANK-SUM TEST, RESPECTIVELY. FINDINGS: WE ANALYZED 44 AND 35 WOMEN AT TIME 1 AND TIME 2, RESPECTIVELY. THE MEAN SALIVARY CORTISOL CONCENTRATION DECLINED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER EACH YOGA CLASS [TIME 1: 0.36-0.26MUG/DL (P<0.001), TIME 2: 0.32-0.26MUG/DL (P=0.001)]. THE MEAN SALIVARY ALPHA-AMYLASE CONCENTRATION ALSO DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FOLLOWING EACH CLASS [TIME 1: 72.2-50.8KU/L (P=0.001), TIME 2: 70.6-52.7KU/L (P=0.006)]. THE SCORES FOR NEGATIVE DIMENSIONS OF MOOD (TRAIT-ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, ANGER-HOSTILITY, FATIGUE, AND CONFUSION) DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. THE SCORES OF VIGOR FOR A POSITIVE DIMENSION OF MOOD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY INDICATED THE IMMEDIATE STRESS REDUCTION EFFECTS OF YOGA DURING PREGNANCY. 2016 5 1012 38 EFFECTS OF ONE MONTH OF COMMON YOGA PROTOCOL PRACTICE APPEAR TO BE MEDIATED BY THE ANGIOGENIC AND NEUROGENIC PATHWAY: A PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO EXAMINE THE MOLECULAR EFFECTS OF MINDFUL ACTIVITIES SUCH AS YOGA AND MEDITATION DESIGN: THIS WAS AN OPEN LABEL SINGLE ARM EXPLORATORY YOGA INTERVENTION STUDY. STUDY PARTICIPANTS: 64 HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE AGE OF 18-60 YEARS WERE RECRUITED FOR THIS ONE MONTH YOGA INTERVENTION STUDY. INTERVENTION: COMMON YOGA PROTOCOL (CYP) IS A STANDARDIZED YOGA PROTOCOL RELEASED BY MINISTRY OF AYUSH, INDIA FOR INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAY. IT INCLUDES ALL ASPECTS OF YOGA I.E. ASANAS, PRANAYAMA AND MEDITATION. IT IS DESIGNED FOR ADOPTION BY ALL AGE GROUPS FOR THE HEALTH OF COMMUNITY. OUTCOME MEASURES: THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS INCLUDING FASTING SUGAR AND LIPID PROFILE. THE MOLECULAR MARKERS OF NEUROGENESIS (I.E. BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPIC FACTOR, BDNF) AND ANGIOGENESIS (I.E. VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR, VEGF AND ANGIOGENIN) ALONG WITH AMYLOID BETA (MARKER RELATED TO NEURO-DEGENERATIVE DISEASES) WERE ASSESSED. ALL THE ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE AT BASELINE AND AFTER ONE MONTH OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: AFTER ONE MONTH OF CYP PRACTICE HIGH DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (HDL) LEVELS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.001), ALTHOUGH OTHER BIOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS I.E. FASTING SUGAR AND OTHER LIPID ASSESSMENTS WERE FOUND TO BE UNALTERED. ANGIOGENESIS MARKER, ANGIOGENIN WAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY (P<0.002), OTHER ANGIOGENESIS MARKER VEGF DID NOT SHOW ANY CHANGE ALONG WITH BDNF, MARKER OF NEUROGENESIS. AMYLOID BETA LEVELS WERE ALSO UNALTERED. EVEN THOUGH INDIVIDUAL LEVELS OF VEGF AND AMYLOID BETA DID NOT SHOW ANY CHANGE, PROPORTION OF VEGF TO AMYLOID BETA SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE (P<0.001) AFTER ONE MONTH OF CYP INTERVENTION INDICATING THAT THE CHANGE IN VEGF LEVELS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE CHANGE IN AMYLOID BETA LEVELS. CONCLUSION: CYP PRACTICE MAY INFLUENCE CELL SURVIVAL PATHWAYS MEDIATED BY ANGIOGENIC AND NEUROGENIC CROSS TALK. HENCE, CYP CAN BE CONSIDERED AS A PREVENTIVE MEASURE FOR DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH IMPAIRED ANGIOGENIC AND NEUROGENIC MECHANISM. THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF CYP AT THE MOLECULAR LEVEL. 2021 6 1641 22 MONITORING THE NEURAL ACTIVITY OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE WHILE PRACTICING SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. OBJECTIVE: TO IDENTIFY THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE AS EXPERIENCED THROUGH SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. DESIGN: NINETEEN EXPERIENCED MEDITATORS UNDERWENT FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING DURING THREE SHORT CONSECUTIVE MEDITATION PERIODS, CONTRASTED WITH A CONTROL RELAXATION CONDITION. RESULTS: RELATIVE TO BASELINE, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEDITATION SESSIONS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF ACTIVATION IN BILATERAL INFERIOR FRONTAL AND TEMPORAL REGIONS. ACTIVATION BECAME PROGRESSIVELY MORE REDUCED WITH DEEPER MEDITATION STAGES AND IN THE LAST MEDITATION SESSION IT BECAME LOCALIZED TO THE RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL CORTEX/ RIGHT INSULA AND RIGHT MIDDLE/SUPERIOR TEMPORAL CORTEX. FURTHERMORE, RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL ACTIVATION WAS DIRECTLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE SUBJECTIVE DEPTH OF THE MENTAL SILENCE EXPERIENCE. CONCLUSIONS: MEDITATORS APPEAR TO PASS THROUGH AN INITIAL INTENSE NEURAL SELF-CONTROL PROCESS NECESSARY TO SILENCE THEIR MIND. AFTER THIS THEY EXPERIENCE RELATIVELY REDUCED BRAIN ACTIVATION CONCOMITANT WITH THE DEEPENING OF THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE OVER RIGHT INFERIOR FRONTAL CORTEX, PROBABLY REFLECTING AN EFFORTLESS PROCESS OF ATTENTIONAL CONTEMPLATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS STATE. 2015 7 462 20 CHANGES IN REACTION TIME AFTER YOGA BELLOWS-TYPE BREATHING IN HEALTHY FEMALE VOLUNTEERS. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUSLY, YOGA BELLOWS-TYPE BREATHING (BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA) REDUCED REACTION TIME (RT) OR REDUCED ANTICIPATORY RESPONSES IN MALE PARTICIPANTS OR A MIXED GROUP OF MALE AND FEMALE PARTICIPANTS. AIMS: THE PRESENT STUDY AS A CONTROL TRIAL AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECTS OF YOGA BELLOWS-TYPE BREATHING ON RT IN FEMALES EXCLUSIVELY. METHODS: THE SAMPLE CONSISTED OF 25 HEALTHY FEMALES, AGED BETWEEN 19 AND 32 YEARS (GROUP MEAN +/- STANDARD DEVIATION, 22.8 +/- 3.5 YEARS). ALL OF THEM HAD PRIOR MINIMUM EXPERIENCE OF YOGA INCLUDING YOGA BELLOWS-TYPE BREATHING OF 12 MONTHS. THE RT WAS ASSESSED IN EACH PARTICIPANT BEFORE AND AFTER THREE RANDOMIZED SESSIONS DIFFERED IN THE INTERVENTION GIVEN HELD ON THREE SEPARATE DAYS. THE SESSIONS WERE (I) YOGA BELLOWS-TYPE BREATHING OR BHASTRIKA PRANAYAMA(BHK), (II) BREATH AWARENESS (BAW), AND (III) SITTING QUIETLY (CTL) AS A CONTROL SESSION. THE DURATION OF THE INTERVENTION WAS 18 MIN, AND THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR RT BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA, POST HOC TESTS WITH BONFERRONI ADJUSTED SHOWED THAT THE TIME TAKEN TO OBTAIN A CORRECT RESPONSE REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER 18 MIN OF BAW (P < 0.05) AND CTL (P < 0.05). HOWEVER, NO CHANGES WERE SEEN IN THE RT AFTER BHK. CONCLUSIONS: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT DIFFERENT INTERVENTIONS MAY OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE IN TASKS REQUIRING ATTENTION IN FEMALES COMPARED TO MALES. 2018 8 1286 22 GRAY MATTER AND FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE DURING SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. SOME MEDITATION TECHNIQUES TEACH THE PRACTITIONER TO ACHIEVE THE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE. THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE BRAIN REGIONS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR VOLUME AND FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY (FC) WITH THE DEPTH OF MENTAL SILENCE IN LONG-TERM PRACTITIONERS OF SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. TWENTY-THREE LONG-TERM PRACTITIONERS OF THIS MEDITATION WERE SCANNED USING MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING. IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY THE NEURAL CORRELATES OF THE DEPTH OF MENTAL SILENCE, WE TESTED WHICH GRAY MATTER VOLUMES (GMV) WERE CORRELATED WITH THE DEPTH OF MENTAL SILENCE AND WHICH REGIONS THESE AREAS WERE FUNCTIONALLY CONNECTED TO UNDER A MEDITATION CONDITION. GMV IN MEDIAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX INCLUDING ROSTRAL ANTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX WERE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH THE SUBJECTIVE PERCEPTION OF THE DEPTH OF MENTAL SILENCE INSIDE THE SCANNER. FURTHERMORE, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED FC BETWEEN THIS AREA AND BILATERAL ANTERIOR INSULA/PUTAMEN DURING A MEDITATION-STATE SPECIFICALLY, WHILE DECREASED CONNECTIVITY WITH THE RIGHT THALAMUS/PARAHIPPOCAMPAL GYRUS WAS PRESENT DURING THE MEDITATION-STATE AND THE RESTING-STATE. THE CAPACITY OF LONG-TERM MEDITATORS TO ESTABLISH A DURABLE STATE OF MENTAL SILENCE INSIDE AN MRI SCANNER WAS ASSOCIATED WITH LARGER GRAY MATTER VOLUME IN A MEDIAL FRONTAL REGION THAT IS CRUCIAL FOR TOP-DOWN COGNITIVE, EMOTION AND ATTENTION CONTROL. THIS IS FURTHERMORE CORROBORATED BY INCREASED FC OF THIS REGION DURING THE MEDITATION-STATE WITH BILATERAL ANTERIOR INSULA/PUTAMEN, WHICH ARE IMPORTANT FOR INTEROCEPTION, EMOTION, AND ATTENTION REGULATION. THE FINDINGS HENCE SUGGEST THAT THE DEPTH OF MENTAL SILENCE IS ASSOCIATED WITH MEDIAL FRONTO-INSULAR-STRIATAL NETWORKS THAT ARE CRUCIAL FOR TOP-DOWN ATTENTION AND EMOTIONAL CONTROL. 2018 9 1649 33 MULTI-OMICS INTEGRATION AND INTERACTOMICS REVEALS MOLECULAR NETWORKS AND REGULATORS OF THE BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YOGA AND EXERCISE. BACKGROUND: YOGA IS A MULTIFACETED SPIRITUAL TOOL THAT HELPS IN MAINTAINING HEALTH, PEACE OF MIND, AND POSITIVE THOUGHTS. IN THE CONTEXT OF ASANA, YOGA IS SIMILAR TO PHYSICAL EXERCISE. THIS STUDY AIMS TO CONSTRUCT A MOLECULAR NETWORK TO FIND HUB GENES THAT PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND YOGA. METHODOLOGY: WE COMBINED DIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED GENES (DEGS) IN YOGA AND EXERCISE USING COMPUTATIONAL BIOINFORMATICS FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE GENE EXPRESSION OMNIBUS (GEO) DATASETS AND IDENTIFIED THE CODIFFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED MRNAS WITH GEO2R. THE CO-DEGS WERE DIVIDED INTO FOUR DIFFERENT GROUPS AND EACH GROUP WAS SUBJECTED TO PROTEIN-PROTEIN INTERACTION (PPI) NETWORK, PATHWAYS ANALYSIS, AND GENE ONTOLOGY. RESULTS: OUR STUDY IDENTIFIED IMMUNOLOGICAL MODULATION AS A DOMINANT TARGET OF DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION IN YOGA AND EXERCISE. YOGA PREDOMINANTLY MODULATED GENES AFFECTING THE TH1 AND NK CELLS, WHEREAS CYTOKINES, MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION, AND OXIDATIVE STRESS WERE AFFECTED BY EXERCISE. WE ALSO OBSERVED THAT WHILE YOGA REGULATED GENES FOR TWO MAIN PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF THE BODY, NAMELY CIRCADIAN RHYTHM (BHLHE40) AND IMMUNITY (LBP, T-BOX TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR 21, CEACAM1), EXERCISE-REGULATED GENES INVOLVED IN APOPTOSIS (BAG3, PROTEIN KINASE C ALPHA), ANGIOGENESIS, AND CELLULAR ADHESION (EPH RECEPTOR A1). CONCLUSION: THE DISSIMILARITY IN THE GENETIC EXPRESSION PATTERNS IN YOGA AND EXERCISE HIGHLIGHTS THE DISCRETE EFFECT OF EACH IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS. THE INTEGRATION AND CONVERGENCES OF MULTI-OMICS SIGNALS CAN PROVIDE DEEPER AND COMPREHENSIVE INSIGHTS INTO THE VARIOUS BIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH YOGA AND EXERCISE EXERT THEIR BENEFICIAL EFFECTS AND OPENS UP POTENTIAL NEWER RESEARCH AREAS. 2022 10 499 26 COMBINED YOGA AND TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION INCREASE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY AND SYNCHRONIZATION IN THE FRONTAL AREAS. TRANSCRANIAL DIRECT CURRENT STIMULATION (TDCS) IS A NON-INVASIVE NEURO-STIMULATION TECHNIQUE THAT CAN MODULATE CORTICAL EXCITABILITY. SIMILARLY, YOGA IS SHOWN TO AFFECT THE BRAIN'S NEURAL ACTIVITY AND NETWORKS. HERE, WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF COMBINED YOGA AND TDCS ON BRAIN OSCILLATIONS AND NETWORKS USING RESTING-STATE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY RECORDINGS. IN A RANDOMIZED, CROSS-OVER, DOUBLE-BLIND DESIGN, TWENTY-TWO HEALTHY SUBJECTS PARTICIPATED IN A YOGA/ACTIVE TDCS SESSION (2 MA; 20 MIN; ANODE-F3, CATHODE F4) OR YOGA/SHAM TDCS ON 2 SEPARATE DAYS. RESTING-STATE EEG DATA WERE COLLECTED BEFORE AND AFTER EACH INTERVENTION. POWER SPECTRAL DENSITY (PSD) AND FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY, MEASURED BY A SYNCHRONIZATION MEASURE, PHASE-LOCKING VALUE, WERE COMPUTED FOR EACH CONDITION. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN PSD VALUES AMONG THE TWO INTERVENTIONS. THE NETWORK-BASED STATISTIC METHOD WAS EMPLOYED FOR DETECTING FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOGA/ACTIVE AND YOGA/SHAM TDCS INTERVENTIONS. RESULTS SHOW THAT THE ADDITION OF ACTIVE TDCS TO YOGA IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY OF THE SCALP AND SOURCE EEG DATA IN THE FRONTAL AREA. THE CHANGES WERE WIDESPREAD, INTRA-HEMISPHERIC, AND INTER-HEMISPHERIC CONNECTIONS, WHICH WERE MAINLY BETWEEN THE FRONTAL AREA TO OTHER REGIONS. AT THE SOURCE LEVEL, MOST OF THE CONNECTIVITY CHANGES WERE FOUND IN THE FRONTO-PARIETAL NETWORK. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT COMBINING YOGA WITH TDCS MIGHT LEAD TO BRAIN NETWORK CHANGES RELATED TO THE EXECUTIVE AND ATTENTIONAL FUNCTIONS. 2022 11 1836 22 PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF THE PRACTICE OF TANTRIC YOGA MEDITATION. AUTONOMIC AND ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC (EEG) CORRELATES OF TANTRIC YOGA MEDITATION WERE STUDIED IN THREE GROUPS OF SUBJECTS AS THEY PROGRESSED FROM NORMAL CONSCIOUSNESS INTO MEDITATION. GROUPS DIFFERED IN THEIR LEVEL OF MEDITATION PROFICIENCY. MEASURES OF SKIN RESISTANCE, HEART RATE, RESPIRATION, AUTONOMIC ORIENTING RESPONSES, RESTING EEG, EEG ALPHA AND THETA FREQUENCIES, SLEEP-SCORED EEG, AVERAGED EVOKED RESPONSES, AND SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE WERE EMPLOYED. UNLIKE MOST PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MEDITATION STUDIES, PROFICIENT MEDITATORS DEMONSTRATED INCREASED AUTONOMIC ACTIVATION DURING MEDITATION WHILE UNEXPERIENCED MEDITATORS DEMONSTRATED AUTONOMIC RELAXATION. DURING MEDITATION, PROFICIENT MEDITATORS DEMONSTRATED INCREASED ALPHA AND THETA POWER, MINIMAL EVIDENCE OF EEG-DEFINED SLEEP, AND DECREASED AUTONOMIC ORIENTING TO EXTERNAL STIMULATION. AN EPISODE OF SUDDEN AUTONOMIC ACTIVATION WAS OBSERVED THAT WAS CHARACTERIZED BY THE MEDITATOR AS AN APPROACH TO THE YOGIC ECSTATIC STATE OF INTENSE CONCENTRATION. THESE FINDINGS CHALLENGE THE CURRENT "RELAXATION" MODEL OF MEDITATIVE STATES. 1978 12 849 28 EFFECT OF YOGA ON SERUM HOMOCYSTEINE AND NITRIC OXIDE LEVELS IN ADOLESCENT WOMEN WITH AND WITHOUT DYSMENORRHEA. BACKGROUND: THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE SERUM LEVELS OF HOMOCYSTEINE AND NITRIC OXIDE (NO) IN A COHORT OF WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA AND NORMAL HEALTHY CONTROLS. METHODS: A PROSPECTIVE CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED IN 35 WOMEN WITH PRIMARY DYSMENORRHEA AND 35 HEALTHY CONTROLS IN A COMMUNITY-BASED STUDY. SHORT-FORM MENSTRUAL DISTRESS QUESTIONNAIRES (MDQS) WERE ADMINISTERED TO ASSESS THE MENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS. ALL PARTICIPANTS WERE PROVIDED YOGA INTERVENTION, TWICE A WEEK AT 30 MINUTES/SESSION, CONSECUTIVELY FOR 8 WEEKS. BLOOD SAMPLES WERE DRAWN FROM EACH WOMAN ON THE THIRD DAY OF THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE. ASSESSMENTS OF MDQS AND BLOOD SAMPLES FOR THE DETERMINATION OF HOMOCYSTEINE AND NO CONCENTRATIONS WERE PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND WITHIN THE FIRST 3 DAYS OF THEIR NEXT MENSES AFTER COMPLETION OF YOGA INTERVENTION. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 30 WOMEN FROM THE DYSMENORRHEAL GROUP AND 30 FROM THE CONTROL GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. HOMOCYSTEINE LEVELS WERE HIGHER IN THOSE WITH DYSMENORRHEA WHEN COMPARED WITH HEALTHY CONTROLS BEFORE YOGA INTERVENTION (MANN-WHITNEY U TEST, P<0.05); HOWEVER, NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AFTER 8 WEEKS OF YOGA TRAINING (P<0.05). THE CONCENTRATIONS OF HOMOCYSTEINE IN BOTH THE DYSMENORRHEAL AND CONTROL GROUPS AFTER 8 WEEKS DECREASED BY 51.37% AND 46.46%, RESPECTIVELY (P<0.001). THERE WERE NO STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN NO LEVELS BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS AT BASELINE AND AFTER INTERVENTION. THE TOTAL SCORES ON THE MDQS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY AFTER YOGA INTERVENTION IN THE DYSMENORRHEAL GROUP (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA INTERVENTION WAS FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCTIONS IN SEVERITY OF DYSMENORRHEA AND MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN LOWERING SERUM HOMOCYSTEINE LEVELS AFTER AN INTERVENTION PERIOD OF 8 WEEKS. THESE OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT YOGA MAY HAVE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS IN WOMEN BY RESTORING ENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION. 2013 13 1208 30 EXPLORATION OF LOWER FREQUENCY EEG DYNAMICS AND CORTICAL ALPHA ASYMMETRY IN LONG-TERM RAJYOGA MEDITATORS. BACKGROUND: RAJYOGA MEDITATION IS TAUGHT BY PRAJAPITA BRAHMAKUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY (BRAHMAKUMARIS) AND HAS BEEN FOLLOWED BY MORE THAN ONE MILLION FOLLOWERS ACROSS THE GLOBE. HOWEVER, RARE STUDIES WERE CONDUCTED ON PHYSIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF RAJYOGA MEDITATION USING ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY (EEG). BAND POWER AND CORTICAL ASYMMETRY WERE NOT STUDIED WITH RAJYOGA MEDITATORS. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR MEDITATION PRACTICE ON EEG BRAIN DYNAMICS IN LOW-FREQUENCY BANDS OF LONG-TERM RAJYOGA MEDITATORS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: SUBJECTS WERE MATCHED FOR AGE IN BOTH GROUPS. LOWER FREQUENCY EEG BANDS WERE ANALYZED IN RESTING AND DURING MEDITATION. MATERIALS AND METHODS: TWENTY-ONE MALE LONG-TERM MEDITATORS (LTMS) AND SAME NUMBER OF CONTROLS WERE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN STUDY AS PAR INCLUSION CRITERIA. SEMI HIGH-DENSITY EEG WAS RECORDED BEFORE AND DURING MEDITATION IN LTM GROUP AND RESTING IN CONTROL GROUP. THE MAIN OUTCOME OF THE STUDY WAS SPECTRAL POWER OF ALPHA AND THETA BANDS AND CORTICAL (HEMISPHERICAL) ASYMMETRY CALCULATED USING BAND POWER. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: ONE-WAY ANOVA WAS PERFORMED TO FIND THE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EEG SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF GROUPS. PEARSON'S CHI-SQUARE TEST WAS USED TO FIND DIFFERENCE AMONG DEMOGRAPHICS DATA. RESULTS: RESULTS REVEAL HIGH-BAND POWER IN ALPHA AND THETA SPECTRA IN MEDITATORS. CORTICAL ASYMMETRY CALCULATED THROUGH EEG POWER WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE HIGH IN FRONTAL AS WELL AS PARIETAL CHANNELS. HOWEVER, NO CORRELATION WAS SEEN BETWEEN THE EXPERIENCE OF MEDITATION (YEARS, HOURS) PRACTICE AND EEG INDICES. CONCLUSION: OVERALL FINDINGS INDICATE CONTRIBUTION OF SMALLER FREQUENCIES (ALPHA AND THETA) WHILE MAINTAINING MEDITATIVE EXPERIENCE. THIS SUGGESTS A POSITIVE IMPACT OF MEDITATION ON FRONTAL AND PARIETAL AREAS OF BRAIN, INVOLVED IN THE PROCESSES OF REGULATION OF SELECTIVE AND SUSTAINED ATTENTION AS WELL AS PROVIDE EVIDENCE ABOUT THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN EMOTION AND COGNITIVE PROCESSING. 2018 14 1668 30 NEUROCOGNITIVE CORRELATES OF THE EFFECTS OF YOGA MEDITATION PRACTICE ON EMOTION AND COGNITION: A PILOT STUDY. MINDFULNESS MEDITATION INVOLVES ATTENDING TO EMOTIONS WITHOUT COGNITIVE FIXATION OF EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. OVER TIME, THIS PRACTICE IS HELD TO PROMOTE ALTERATIONS IN TRAIT AFFECTIVITY AND ATTENTIONAL CONTROL WITH RESULTANT EFFECTS ON WELL-BEING AND COGNITION. HOWEVER, RELATIVELY LITTLE IS KNOWN REGARDING THE NEURAL SUBSTRATES OF MEDITATION EFFECTS ON EMOTION AND COGNITION. THE PRESENT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE NEUROCOGNITIVE CORRELATES OF EMOTION INTERFERENCE ON COGNITION IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND A MATCHED CONTROL GROUP (CG) UNDERWENT FMRI WHILE PERFORMING AN EVENT-RELATED AFFECTIVE STROOP TASK. THE TASK INCLUDES IMAGE VIEWING TRIALS AND STROOP TRIALS BRACKETED BY NEUTRAL OR NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL DISTRACTORS. DURING IMAGE VIEWING TRIALS, YOGA PRACTITIONERS EXHIBITED LESS REACTIVITY IN RIGHT DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (DLPFC) TO NEGATIVE AS COMPARED TO NEUTRAL IMAGES; WHEREAS THE CG HAD THE OPPOSITE PATTERN. A MAIN EFFECT OF VALENCE (NEGATIVE > NEUTRAL) WAS OBSERVED IN LIMBIC REGIONS (E.G., AMYGDALA), OF WHICH THE MAGNITUDE WAS INVERSELY RELATED TO DLPFC ACTIVATION. EXPLORATORY ANALYSES REVEALED THAT THE MAGNITUDE OF AMYGDALA ACTIVATION PREDICTED DECREASED SELF-REPORTED POSITIVE AFFECT IN THE CG, BUT NOT AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS. DURING STROOP TRIALS, YOGA PRACTITIONERS HAD GREATER ACTIVATION IN VENTROLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX (VLPFC) DURING STROOP TRIALS WHEN NEGATIVE, COMPARED TO NEUTRAL, EMOTIONAL DISTRACTOR WERE PRESENTED; THE CG EXHIBITED THE OPPOSITE PATTERN. TAKEN TOGETHER, THESE DATA SUGGEST THAT THOUGH YOGA PRACTITIONERS EXHIBIT LIMBIC REACTIVITY TO NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL STIMULI, SUCH REACTIVITY DOES NOT HAVE DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS ON LATER MOOD STATE. THIS UNCOUPLING OF VIEWING NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL IMAGES AND AFFECT AMONG YOGA PRACTITIONERS MAY BE OCCASIONED BY THEIR SELECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF FRONTAL EXECUTIVE-DEPENDENT STRATEGIES TO REDUCE EMOTIONAL INTERFERENCE DURING COMPETING COGNITIVE DEMANDS AND NOT DURING EMOTIONAL PROCESSING PER SE. 2012 15 1496 27 INTRACEREBRAL PAIN PROCESSING IN A YOGA MASTER WHO CLAIMS NOT TO FEEL PAIN DURING MEDITATION. WE RECORDED MAGNETOENCEPHALOGRAPHY (MEG) AND FUNCTIONAL MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (FMRI) FOLLOWING NOXIOUS LASER STIMULATION IN A YOGA MASTER WHO CLAIMS NOT TO FEEL PAIN WHEN MEDITATING. AS FOR BACKGROUND MEG ACTIVITY, THE POWER OF ALPHA FREQUENCY BANDS PEAKING AT AROUND 10 HZ WAS MUCH INCREASED DURING MEDITATION OVER OCCIPITAL, PARIETAL AND TEMPORAL REGIONS, WHEN COMPARED WITH THE NON-MEDITATIVE STATE, WHICH MIGHT MEAN THE SUBJECT WAS VERY RELAXED, THOUGH HE DID NOT FALL ASLEEP, DURING MEDITATION. PRIMARY PAIN-RELATED CORTICAL ACTIVITIES RECORDED FROM PRIMARY (SI) AND SECONDARY SOMATOSENSORY CORTICES (SII) BY MEG WERE VERY WEAK OR ABSENT DURING MEDITATION. AS FOR FMRI RECORDING, THERE WERE REMARKABLE CHANGES IN LEVELS OF ACTIVITY IN THE THALAMUS, SII-INSULA (MAINLY THE INSULA) AND CINGULATE CORTEX BETWEEN MEDITATION AND NON-MEDITATION. ACTIVITIES IN ALL THREE REGIONS WERE INCREASED DURING NON-MEDITATION, SIMILAR TO RESULTS IN NORMAL SUBJECTS. IN CONTRAST, ACTIVITIES IN ALL THREE REGIONS WERE WEAKER DURING MEDITATION, AND THE LEVEL WAS LOWER THAN THE BASELINE IN THE THALAMUS. RECENT NEUROIMAGING AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES HAVE CLARIFIED THAT THE EMOTIONAL ASPECT OF PAIN PERCEPTION MAINLY INVOLVES THE INSULA AND CINGULATE CORTEX. THOUGH WE CANNOT CLEARLY EXPLAIN THIS UNUSUAL CONDITION IN THE YOGA MASTER, A CHANGE OF MULTIPLE REGIONS RELATING TO PAIN PERCEPTION COULD BE RESPONSIBLE, SINCE PAIN IS A COMPLEX SENSORY AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE. 2005 16 1670 24 NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF YOGA PRACTICE: AGE-, EXPERIENCE-, AND FREQUENCY-DEPENDENT PLASTICITY. YOGA COMBINES POSTURES, BREATHING, AND MEDITATION. DESPITE REPORTED HEALTH BENEFITS, YOGA'S EFFECTS ON THE BRAIN HAVE RECEIVED LITTLE STUDY. WE USED MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING TO COMPARE AGE-RELATED GRAY MATTER (GM) DECLINE IN YOGIS AND CONTROLS. WE ALSO EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF INCREASING YOGA EXPERIENCE AND WEEKLY PRACTICE ON GM VOLUME AND ASSESSED WHICH ASPECTS OF WEEKLY PRACTICE CONTRIBUTED MOST TO BRAIN SIZE. CONTROLS DISPLAYED THE WELL DOCUMENTED AGE-RELATED GLOBAL BRAIN GM DECLINE WHILE YOGIS DID NOT, SUGGESTING THAT YOGA CONTRIBUTES TO PROTECT THE BRAIN AGAINST AGE-RELATED DECLINE. YEARS OF YOGA EXPERIENCE CORRELATED MOSTLY WITH GM VOLUME DIFFERENCES IN THE LEFT HEMISPHERE (INSULA, FRONTAL OPERCULUM, AND ORBITOFRONTAL CORTEX) SUGGESTING THAT YOGA TUNES THE BRAIN TOWARD A PARASYMPATICALLY DRIVEN MODE AND POSITIVE STATES. THE NUMBER OF HOURS OF WEEKLY PRACTICE CORRELATED WITH GM VOLUME IN THE PRIMARY SOMATOSENSORY CORTEX/SUPERIOR PARIETAL LOBULE (S1/SPL), PRECUNEUS/POSTERIOR CINGULATE CORTEX (PCC), HIPPOCAMPUS, AND PRIMARY VISUAL CORTEX (V1). COMMONALITY ANALYSES INDICATED THAT THE COMBINATION OF POSTURES AND MEDITATION CONTRIBUTED THE MOST TO THE SIZE OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS, PRECUNEUS/PCC, AND S1/SPL WHILE THE COMBINATION OF MEDITATION AND BREATHING EXERCISES CONTRIBUTED THE MOST TO V1 VOLUME. YOGA'S POTENTIAL NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS MAY PROVIDE A NEURAL BASIS FOR SOME OF ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS. 2015 17 1691 19 OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AND RESPIRATION DURING AND AFTER TWO YOGA RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) IS A TECHNIQUE WHICH COMBINES "STIMULATING" AND "CALMING" PRACTICES, BASED ON A STATEMENT IN ANCIENT YOGA TEXTS SUGGESTING THAT SUCH A COMBINATION MAY BE ESPECIALLY HELPFUL TO REACH A STATE OF MENTAL EQUILIBRIUM. THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, BREATH RATE AND BREATH VOLUME OF 50 MALE VOLUNTEERS (GROUP MEAN AGE+/-SD, 27+/-6.3 YEARS) WERE ASSESSED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER SESSIONS OF CM AND SESSIONS OF SUPINE REST IN THE CORPSE POSTURE (SHAVASANA, SH). THE SESSIONS WERE ONE DAY APART AND THE ORDER WAS ALTERNATED. THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, BREATH RATE AND BREATH VOLUME INCREASED DURING THE "STIMULATING" PRACTICES OF CM, RETURNED TO THE BASELINE DURING THE "CALMING" PRACTICES, AND THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION DECREASED BY 19.3 PERCENT BELOW BASELINE VALUES AFTER CM. DURING THE SH SESSION THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, BREATH RATE AND BREATH VOLUME REDUCED; HOWEVER THE DECREASE IN OXYGEN CONSUMPTION AFTER SH WAS LESS THAN AFTER CM (I.E., 4.8 PERCENT). THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT A COMBINATION OF YOGA POSTURES WITH SUPINE REST (IN CM) REDUCES THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION MORE THAN RESTING SUPINE ALONE DOES. 2006 18 1266 24 FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION IN AGING YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS. NUMEROUS STUDIES HAVE DOCUMENTED THE NORMAL AGE-RELATED DECLINE OF NEURAL STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT MEDITATION MAY REDUCE DECLINE IN SPECIFIC COGNITIVE DOMAINS AND IN BRAIN STRUCTURE. HERE WE EXTENDED THIS RESEARCH BY INVESTIGATING THE RELATION BETWEEN AGE AND FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND RESTING STATE BRAIN FUNCTIONAL NETWORK ARCHITECTURE USING GRAPH THEORY, IN MIDDLE-AGED YOGA AND MEDITATION PRACTITIONERS, AND MATCHED CONTROLS. FLUID INTELLIGENCE DECLINED SLOWER IN YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND MEDITATORS COMBINED THAN IN CONTROLS. RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL NETWORKS OF YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND MEDITATORS COMBINED WERE MORE INTEGRATED AND MORE RESILIENT TO DAMAGE THAN THOSE OF CONTROLS. FURTHERMORE, MINDFULNESS WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH FLUID INTELLIGENCE, RESILIENCE, AND GLOBAL NETWORK EFFICIENCY. THESE FINDINGS REVEAL THE POSSIBILITY TO INCREASE RESILIENCE AND TO SLOW THE DECLINE OF FLUID INTELLIGENCE AND BRAIN FUNCTIONAL ARCHITECTURE AND SUGGEST THAT MINDFULNESS PLAYS A MECHANISTIC ROLE IN THIS PRESERVATION. 2014 19 1897 26 RESTING STATE FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION. NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT MEDITATION PRACTICES HAVE EFFECTS ON BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION. HOWEVER, FEW STUDIES HAVE COMBINED INFORMATION ON THE EFFECTS ON STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN THE SAME SAMPLE. LONG-TERM DAILY MEDITATION PRACTICE PRODUCES REPEATED ACTIVITY OF SPECIFIC BRAIN NETWORKS OVER YEARS OF PRACTICE, WHICH MAY INDUCE LASTING STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY (FC) CHANGES WITHIN RELEVANT CIRCUITS. THE AIM OF OUR STUDY WAS THEREFORE TO IDENTIFY DIFFERENCES IN FC DURING THE RESTING STATE BETWEEN 23 SAHAJA YOGA MEDITATION EXPERTS AND 23 HEALTHY PARTICIPANTS WITHOUT MEDITATION EXPERIENCE. SEED-BASED FC ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED DEPARTING FROM VOXELS THAT HAD SHOWN STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE SAME PARTICIPANTS. THE CONTRAST OF CONNECTIVITY MAPS YIELDED THAT MEDITATORS SHOWED INCREASED FC BETWEEN THE LEFT VENTROLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX AND THE RIGHT DORSOLATERAL PREFRONTAL CORTEX BUT REDUCED FC BETWEEN THE LEFT INSULA AND THE BILATERAL MID-CINGULATE AS WELL AS BETWEEN THE RIGHT ANGULAR GYRUS AND THE BILATERAL PRECUNEUS/CUNEUS CORTICES. IT THUS APPEARS THAT LONG-TERM MEDITATION PRACTICE INCREASES DIRECT FC BETWEEN VENTRAL AND DORSAL FRONTAL REGIONS WITHIN BRAIN NETWORKS RELATED TO ATTENTION AND COGNITIVE CONTROL AND DECREASES FC BETWEEN REGIONS OF THESE NETWORKS AND AREAS OF THE DEFAULT MODE NETWORK. 2021 20 1354 18 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF THREE YOGA BREATHING TECHNIQUES ON PERFORMANCE ON A LETTER-CANCELLATION TASK. THE EFFECTS OF THREE YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES WERE EVALUATED ON PERFORMANCE ON A LETTER-CANCELLATION TASK WHICH IS A LEFT-HEMISPHERE DOMINANT TASK. THE THREE YOGA BREATHING PRACTICES (RIGHT, LEFT, AND ALTERNATE NOSTRIL BREATHING) WERE SELECTED BECAUSE UNILATERAL FORCED NOSTRIL BREATHING STIMULATES THE CONTRALATERAL HEMISPHERE. THERE WERE 20 MALE VOLUNTEERS WHOSE AGES RANGED FROM 20 TO 45 YEARS (M AGE=28.4 YR., SD=5.7). ALL SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER FOUR SESSIONS, I.E., RIGHT NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING, LEFT NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING, ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING, AND BREATH AWARENESS AS A CONTROL. THE LETTER-CANCELLATION TASK SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED, I.E., THERE WERE FEWER ERRORS FOLLOWING RIGHT AND ALTERNATE NOSTRIL YOGA BREATHING (WILCOXON PAIRED SIGNED-RANKS TEST). THE IMPROVED PERFORMANCE MAY BE RELATED TO THE ENHANCEMENT OF CONTRALATERAL HEMISPHERE FUNCTION FOUND WITH SELECTIVE NOSTRIL BREATHING. 2007