1 1941 357 SAFETY AND EFFICACY OF AYURVEDIC INTERVENTIONS AND YOGA ON LONG TERM EFFECTS OF COVID-19: A STRUCTURED SUMMARY OF A STUDY PROTOCOL FOR A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: PRIMARY OBJECTIVE * TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF AYURVEDA INTERVENTIONS AND YOGA IN REHABILITATION OF COVID-19 CASES SUFFERING WITH LONG TERM EFFECTS OF COVID 19 AS COMPARED TO WHO REHABILITATION SELF-MANAGEMENT AFTER COVID-19- RELATED ILLNESS. SECONDARY OBJECTIVE * TO ASSESS THE SAFETY OF AYURVEDIC INTERVENTIONS IN CASES SUFFERING WITH LONG TERM EFFECTS OF COVID 19 TRIAL DESIGN: MULTI-CENTRIC, RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, PARALLEL GROUP, OPEN-LABEL, EXPLORATORY STUDY. THE STUDY DURATION IS 9 MONTHS AND THE INTERVENTION PERIOD IS 90 DAYS FROM THE DAY OF ENROLMENT OF THE PARTICIPANT. PARTICIPANTS: PATIENTS OF EITHER SEX BETWEEN 18 TO 60 YEARS, AMBULATORY, WILLING TO PARTICIPATE, WITH HISTORY (NOT MORE THAN 4 WEEKS) OF POSITIVE RT-PCR FOR COVID-19 OR IGM ANTIBODIES POSITIVITY FOR SARS COV-2, BUT HAVING NEGATIVE RT-PCR FOR COVID-19 AT THE TIME OF SCREENING WILL BE CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE FOR ENROLMENT IN THE STUDY. CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS WITH ARDS (ACUTE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME), REQUIRING INVASIVE RESPIRATORY SUPPORT IN THE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT, KNOWN CASE OF ANY MALIGNANCY, IMMUNE-COMPROMISED STATE (E.G. HIV), DIABETES MELLITUS, ACTIVE PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS, PAST HISTORY OF ANY CHRONIC RESPIRATORY DISEASE, MOTOR NEURON DISEASE, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, STROKE, IMPAIRED COGNITION, ATRIAL FIBRILLATION, ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME, MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, SEVERE ARRHYTHMIA, CONCURRENT SERIOUS HEPATIC DISEASE OR RENAL DISEASE, PREGNANT OR LACTATING WOMEN, PATIENTS ON IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE MEDICATIONS, HISTORY OF HYPERSENSITIVITY TO THE TRIAL DRUGS OR THEIR INGREDIENTS, DEPRESSIVE ILLNESS (BEFORE COVID-19), DIAGNOSED PSYCHOTIC ILLNESSES, SUBSTANCE DEPENDENCE OR ALCOHOLISM WILL BE EXCLUDED. THE TRIAL WILL BE CONDUCTED AT TWO MEDICAL COLLEGES IN MAHARASHTRA, INDIA. INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: INTERVENTION ARM (GROUP-I): AYURVEDA INTERVENTIONS INCLUDING AGASTYA HARITAKI SIX GRAM AND ASHWAGANDHA TABLET 500 MG TWICE DAILY ORALLY AFTER MEALS WITH WARM WATER AND TWO SESSIONS OF YOGA (MORNING 30 MINUTES AND EVENING 15 MINUTES) DAILY FOR 90 DAYS, AS PER THE POST-COVID-19 CARE PROTOCOL PROVIDED IN NATIONAL CLINICAL MANAGEMENT PROTOCOL BASED ON AYURVEDA AND YOGA FOR MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19 PUBLISHED BY MINISTRY OF AYUSH, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. COMPARATOR ARM (GROUP-II): WHO REHABILITATION SELF-MANAGEMENT AFTER COVID-19 RELATED ILLNESS FOR 90 DAYS. THE TRIAL DRUGS ARE BEING PROCURED FROM A GMP CERTIFIED PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY. MAIN OUTCOMES: PRIMARY OUTCOME: CHANGE IN RESPIRATORY FUNCTION TO BE ASSESSED BY SAN DIEGO SHORTNESS OF BREATH QUESTIONNAIRE, 6-MINUTES WALK TEST AND PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: CHANGE IN HIGH-RESOLUTION COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY (HRCT) CHEST CHANGE IN FATIGUE SCORE ASSESSED BY MODIFIED FATIGUE IMPACT SCALE CHANGE IN ANXIETY SCORE ASSESSED BY HOSPITAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION SCALE SCORE CHANGE IN SLEEP QUALITY ASSESSED BY PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX CHANGE IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE ASSESSED BY COV19-QOL SCALE SAFETY OF THE INTERVENTIONS WILL BE ASSESSED BY COMPARING HEMATOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD AND ADVERSE EVENT/ ADVERSE DRUG REACTION TIMELINES FOR OUTCOME ASSESSMENT: SUBJECTIVE PARAMETERS AND CLINICAL ASSESSMENT WILL BE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 15(TH) DAY, 30(TH) DAY, 60(TH) DAY AND 90(TH) DAY. LABORATORY PARAMETERS (CBC, LFT, KFT, HBA1C, HS-CRP, D-DIMER), PULMONARY FUNCTION TEST AND HRCT CHEST WILL BE DONE AT BASELINE AND AFTER COMPLETION OF STUDY PERIOD I.E. 90(TH) DAY. RANDOMISATION: STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES (SPSS) VERSION 15.0 IS USED TO GENERATE THE RANDOM NUMBER SEQUENCES. THE PARTICIPANTS WILL BE RANDOMIZED TO TWO STUDY GROUPS IN THE RATIO OF 1:1. BLINDING (MASKING): THE STUDY IS OPEN-LABEL DESIGN. HOWEVER, THE OUTCOME ASSESSOR WILL BE KEPT BLINDED REGARDING THE STUDY GROUP ALLOCATION OF THE PARTICIPANTS. NUMBERS TO BE RANDOMISED (SAMPLE SIZE) SAMPLE SIZE: THE SAMPLE SIZE FOR THE STUDY IS CALCULATED ASSUMING IMPROVEMENT IN 6-MINUTES WALK TEST BY 40 METER IN GROUP I AND A CHANGE OF 10 METER IN GROUP II WITH A STANDARD DEVIATION OF 50 METER BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES, WITH 95% CONFIDENCE LEVEL (ALPHA = 0.05) AND 80% POWER AND EXPECTING A DROPOUT RATE OF 20%. THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS TO BE ENROLLED IN THE STUDY SHOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 55 IN EACH GROUP. HENCE, A TOTAL OF 110 PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ENROLLED IN THE TRIAL AT EACH STUDY SITE. TRIAL STATUS: PARTICIPANTS' RECRUITMENT STARTED ON 1(ST) MAY 2021. ANTICIPATED END OF RECRUITMENT IS AUGUST 2021. PROTOCOL NUMBER: CCRAS-01 PROTOCOL VERSION NUMBER: 1.1, 13TH JANUARY 2021. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE TRIAL IS PROSPECTIVELY REGISTERED WITH THE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY OF INDIA (CTRI) ON 03(RD) MARCH 2021 [ CTRI/2021/03/031686 ]. FULL PROTOCOL: THE FULL PROTOCOL IS ATTACHED AS AN ADDITIONAL FILE, ACCESSIBLE FROM THE JOURNAL WEBSITE (ADDITIONAL FILE 1). THIS COMMUNICATION SERVES AS A SUMMARY OF THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE FULL PROTOCOL. 2021 2 1474 20 INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY AND AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS. A SPECIALLY DESIGNED INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA THERAPY MODULE WAS APPLIED TO AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS OVER A PERIOD OF TWO ACADEMIC YEARS. DESPITE LOW NUMBERS (SIX IN EACH ARM), CONSISTENCY AND MAGNITUDE OF EFFECTS MAKE THE FINDINGS SIGNIFICANT. PARENTAL PARTICIPATION, ALLOWING FIRM GUIDANCE TO BE GIVEN TO EACH CHILD, RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN IMITATION AND OTHER SKILLS, AND IN BEHAVIOR AT HOME AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS. WE HYPOTHESIZE THAT GUIDED IMITATION OF THERAPIST BODY POSITIONS STIMULATED MIRROR NEURON ACTIVATION, RESULTING IN IMPROVED SENSE OF SELF. 2010 3 422 33 BRIDGING THE SCHISM OF SCHIZOPHRENIA THROUGH YOGA-REVIEW OF PUTATIVE MECHANISMS. SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS EXPERIENCE A 'DISCONNECT' AT MULTIPLE LEVELS-NEURONAL NETWORKS, MENTAL PROCESSES, AND INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. THE RESULTANT POOR QUALITY-OF-LIFE AND FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY ARE RELATED TO THE PERSISTENT COGNITIVE DEFICITS AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, WHICH ARE RATHER RESISTANT TO CONVENTIONAL ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS. YOGA HAS EMERGED AS AN IMPORTANT THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE QUALITY-OF-LIFE IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. RECENT PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THAT EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS MAY DRIVE THIS BENEFIT. THIS STUDY ATTEMPTS TO INTEGRATE EVIDENCE FROM NEUROSCIENCE-BASED RESEARCH, WHICH FOCUSES ON THE NEUROPLASTICITY-HARNESSING EFFECTS OF YOGA TO BRIDGE THE SCHIZOPHRENIA CONNECTOPATHY. IN AN OVERARCHING MODEL TO STUDY PUTATIVE NEUROBIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS THAT DRIVE THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF YOGA, IT IS PROPOSED THAT (A) VARIOUS STYLES OF MEDITATION MAY HELP IN STRENGTHENING THE LATERAL AND MEDIAL PREFRONTAL BRAIN NETWORKS, THUS IMPROVING NEUROCOGNITION AND MENTALIZING ABILITIES, AND (B) LEARNING AND PERFORMING CO-ORDINATED PHYSICAL POSTURES WITH A TEACHER FACILITATES IMITATION AND THE PROCESS OF BEING IMITATED, WHICH CAN IMPROVE SOCIAL COGNITION AND EMPATHY THROUGH REINFORCEMENT OF THE PREMOTOR AND PARIETAL MIRROR NEURON SYSTEM. OXYTOCIN MAY PLAY A ROLE IN MEDIATING THESE PROCESSES, LEADING TO BETTER SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS AND SOCIAL OUTCOMES. CLINICAL AND HEURISTIC IMPLICATIONS OF THIS MODEL ARE FURTHER DISCUSSED. 2016 4 702 53 EFFECT OF HOME-BASED TAI CHI, YOGA OR CONVENTIONAL BALANCE EXERCISE ON FUNCTIONAL BALANCE AND MOBILITY AMONG PERSONS WITH IDIOPATHIC PARKINSON'S DISEASE: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. BACKGROUND: INDIVIDUALS WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE (PD) INVARIABLY EXPERIENCE FUNCTIONAL DECLINE IN A NUMBER OF MOTOR AND NON-MOTOR DOMAINS AFFECTING POSTURE, BALANCE AND GAIT. NUMEROUS CLINICAL STUDIES HAVE EXAMINED EFFECTS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF EXERCISE ON MOTOR AND NON-MOTOR PROBLEMS. BUT STILL MUCH GAP REMAINS IN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF VARIOUS THERAPIES AND THEIR EFFECT ON DELAYING OR SLOWING THE DOPAMINE NEURON DEGENERATION. RECENTLY, TAI CHI AND YOGA BOTH HAVE GAINED POPULARITY AS COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, SINCE BOTH HAVE COMPONENTS FOR MIND AND BODY CONTROL. OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER EIGHT WEEKS OF HOME-BASED TAI CHI OR YOGA WAS MORE EFFECTIVE THAN REGULAR BALANCE EXERCISES ON FUNCTIONAL BALANCE AND MOBILITY. METHODS: TWENTY-SEVEN INDIVIDUALS WITH IDIOPATHIC PD (MODIFIED HOEHN AND YAHR STAGES 2.5-3) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER TAI CHI, YOGA OR CONVENTIONAL EXERCISE GROUP. ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE EVALUATED FOR FUNCTIONAL BALANCE AND MOBILITY USING BERG BALANCE SCALE, TIMED 10 M WALK TEST AND TIMED UP AND GO TEST BEFORE AND AFTER EIGHT WEEKS OF TRAINING. RESULTS: THE RESULTS WERE ANALYZED USING TWO-WAY MIXED ANOVA WHICH SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT FOR TIME AS F (1, 24) = 74.18, P = 0 . 000 , ETA P 2 = 0 . 76 FOR OVERALL BALANCE IN BERG BALANCE SCALE. THERE WAS ALSO SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT OF TIME ON MOBILITY OVERALL AS F(1, 24) = 77 . 78 , P = 0 . 000 , ETA P 2 = 0 . 76 IN TIMED UP AND GO TEST AND F(1, 24) = 48 . 24 , P = 0 . 000 , ETA P 2 = 0 . 67 FOR 10 M WALK TEST. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION EFFECT FOR TIME X GROUP WITH F(2, 24) = 8 . 67 , P = 0 . 001 , ETA P 2 = 0 . 420 FOR BALANCE. WITH RESPECT TO MOBILITY, THE VALUES F(2, 24) = 5 . 92 , P = 0 . 008 , ETA P 2 = 0 . 330 IN TIMED UP AND GO TEST AND F(2, 24) = 10 . 40 , P = 0 . 001 , ETA P 2 = 0 . 464 IN 10 M WALK TEST SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION. BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT MAIN EFFECT BETWEEN THE GROUPS FOR BOTH BALANCE AND MOBILITY. CONCLUSION: THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT TAI CHI AS WELL AS YOGA ARE WELL ADHERED AND ARE ATTRACTIVE OPTIONS FOR A HOME-BASED SETTING. AS ANY FORM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS CONSIDERED BENEFICIAL FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH PD EITHER TAI CHI, YOGA OR CONVENTIONAL BALANCE EXERCISES COULD BE USED AS THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION TO OPTIMIZE BALANCE AND MOBILITY. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NECESSARY TO UNDERSTAND THE MIND-BODY BENEFITS OF TAI CHI AND YOGA EITHER AS MULTICOMPONENT PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES OR AS INDIVIDUAL THERAPIES IN VARIOUS STAGES OF PD. 2020 5 2799 54 YOGA THERAPY FOR SOCIAL COGNITION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: AN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE-BASED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND COGNITIVE DEFICITS ARE DIFFICULT-TO-TREAT SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. IN THIS SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY, WE COMPARED CHANGE IN SOCIAL COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (PWS) (AS PER DSM-5), AFTER 6 WEEKS OF YOGA INTERVENTION WITH A WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP. WE ALSO EXAMINED CHANGES IN PUTATIVE MIRROR NEURON SYSTEM (MNS) ACTIVITY MEASURED BY TRANSCRANIAL MAGNETIC STIMULATION (TMS) IN A SUBSET OF SAMPLE (N = 30). 51 PWS STABILIZED ON ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION FOR AT LEAST 6 WEEKS, WERE ASSIGNED TO ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY (YT) (N = 26) OR WAITLIST (WL) (N = 25). SUBJECTS IN THE YT GROUP RECEIVED ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY (20 SESSIONS IN 6 WEEKS). BOTH THE GROUPS CONTINUED THEIR STANDARD TREATMENT AND WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND AFTER 6 WEEKS FOR SOCIAL COGNITION, CLINICAL SYMPTOMS AND SOCIAL DISABILITY. RM-ANOVA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT INTERACTION BETWEEN TIME AND GROUP FOR SOCIAL COGNITION COMPOSITE SCORE (SCCS) (F = 42.09 [1,44], P < 0.001); NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SANS) (F = 74.91 [1,45], P < 0.001); POSITIVE SYMPTOMS (SAPS) (F = 16.05 [1,45], P < 0.001) AND SOCIAL DISABILITY (GSDS) (F = 29.91 [1,46], P < 0.001). MNS ACTIVITY HAD INCREASED AFTER 6 WEEKS IN BOTH GROUPS BUT NOT OF STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATES THAT 6 WEEKS OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY COULD IMPROVE SOCIAL COGNITION IN PWS COMPARED TO WAITLIST CONTROL SUBJECTS. HOWEVER, THE CHANGE IN SOCIAL COGNITION WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A CHANGE IN THE PUTATIVE MNS-ACTIVITY. IT NECESSIATATES FURTHER STUDIES TO INVESTIGATE THE MECHANISTIC PROCESSES OF YOGA AND REPLICATE THESE OBSERVATIONS IN A LARGER SAMPLE. 2021 6 875 44 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON PLASMA OXYTOCIN AND FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS IN PATIENTS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. CONTEXT: YOGA THERAPY HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO BE USEFUL IN TREATMENT OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS AND IMPROVING THE SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. OXYTOCIN HAS BEEN RECENTLY IMPLICATED IN SOCIAL COGNITION DEFICITS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA HAS NOT BEEN STUDIED. AIMS: THIS STUDY AIMED TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON SYMPTOMS, SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING, FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC STABILIZED SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY ON 43 CONSENTING, MEDICATION STABILIZED PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A TERTIARY PSYCHIATRIC CENTER USING YOGA INTERVENTION AND WAITLISTED GROUPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A TOTAL OF 43 SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA GROUP (N=15) OR WAITLIST GROUP (N=28). PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP RECEIVED TRAINING IN A SPECIFIC YOGA THERAPY MODULE FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA. PATIENTS IN BOTH GROUPS WERE CONTINUED ON STABLE ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED SCALE FOR ASSESSMENT OF POSITIVE SYMPTOMS, SCALE FOR ASSESSMENT OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING SCALE AND TOOL FOR RECOGNITION OF EMOTIONS IN NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS (TRENDS) AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS; PERFORMED AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 1 MONTH. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 15 PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND 12 IN WAITLIST GROUP COMPLETED THE STUDY. THE YOGA THERAPY GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING, PERFORMANCE ON TRENDS (P<0.001) AND PLASMA INCREASE IN OXYTOCIN LEVELS (P=0.01) AS COMPARED WITH THE WAITLIST GROUP. CONCLUSION: THE STUDY SUPPORTED THE ROLE OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY IN MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA AND DEMONSTRATED AN IMPROVEMENT IN ENDOGENOUS PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS RECEIVING YOGA THERAPY. 2013 7 2441 56 YOGA AND SCHIZOPHRENIA-A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF NEUROPLASTICITY: PROTOCOL FOR A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY OF YOGA IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. INTRODUCTION: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS ONE OF THE MOST SEVERE MENTAL DISORDERS WITH A PREVALENCE OF ABOUT 1% AND A LEADING CAUSE OF DISABILITY AMONG YOUNG ADULTS. PHARMACOTHERAPY IS THE MAINSTAY IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. HOWEVER, EVEN WITH THE BEST OF MEDICATION, SEVERAL PROBLEMS LIKE REFRACTORINESS, NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, FREQUENT RELAPSES, AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS PERSIST. METHODS: THIS IS A RANDOMIZED-CONTROLLED CLINICAL STUDY INCLUDING PATIENTS FROM AN URBAN TERTIARY HOSPITAL AND A SEMI-URBAN COMMUNITY CENTER, WITH A BETWEEN-GROUP, REPEATED-MEASURES, LONGITUDINAL DESIGN. THIS STUDY WILL RECRUIT 160 PATIENTS WITH DSM 5 DIAGNOSIS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA WHO ARE ON STABLE MEDICATION FOR A MINIMUM OF 6 WEEKS; THEY WILL BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO 2 ARMS VIZ., YOGA THERAPY (YT), AND TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (TAU) WITH 80 PATIENTS IN EACH ARM. PARTICIPANTS WILL UNDERGO CLINICAL, LABORATORY, AND RADIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENTS AT BASELINE AND AT INTERVALS OF 1 MONTH, 3 MONTHS, AND 6 MONTHS FROM THE BASELINE. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT YOGA WILL IMPROVE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND EMOTION PROCESSING, INCREASE SERUM BRAIN DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVELS AND EFFECT CHANGES IN CEREBRAL ACTIVATION IN AREAS OF THE BRAIN ASSOCIATED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY AIMS TO MEASURE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION AS AN ADJUNCT IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA AS WELL AS THE MECHANISMS OF THESE EFFECTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: REGISTERED RETROSPECTIVELY WITH CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY - INDIA (CTRI) WITH REGISTRATION NUMBER CTRI/2017/08/009219. 2019 8 272 34 ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY FOR SOCIAL COGNITION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND: YOGA AS A MIND-BODY THERAPY IS USEFUL IN LIFESTYLE-RELATED DISORDERS INCLUDING NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS, YOGA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, FUNCTIONING, AND PLASMA OXYTOCIN LEVEL. AIM: THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY ON SOCIAL COGNITION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN A SINGLE PRE-POST, STUDY DESIGN, 15 SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS STABILIZED ON ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION FOR 6 WEEKS WERE ASSESSED FOR SOCIAL COGNITION (THEORY OF MIND, FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION, AND SOCIAL PERCEPTION [SP]) AND CLINICAL SYMPTOMS (NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE SYMPTOMS AND SOCIAL DISABILITY) BEFORE AND AFTER TWENTY SESSIONS OF ADD-ON YOGA THERAPY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SOCIAL COGNITION COMPOSITE SCORE AFTER 20 SESSIONS OF YOGA (T[13] = -5.37, P