1 161 125 A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF ADJUNCTIVE YOGA AND ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. BACKGROUND: YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE HAVE BEEN USED AS ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ), BUT CONTROLLED COMPARISONS ARE LACKING. AIMS A SINGLE-BLIND RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE WHETHER YOGA TRAINING OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING ENHANCE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN SZ, BASED ON A PRIOR PILOT STUDY. METHODS: CONSENTING, CLINICALLY STABLE, ADULT OUTPATIENTS WITH SZ (N=286) COMPLETED BASELINE ASSESSMENTS AND WERE RANDOMISED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU), SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING WITH TAU (YT) OR SUPERVISED PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING WITH TAU (PE). BASED ON THE PILOT STUDY, THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS SPEED INDEX FOR THE COGNITIVE DOMAIN OF 'ATTENTION' IN THE PENN COMPUTERISED NEUROCOGNITIVE BATTERY. USING MIXED MODELS AND CONTRASTS, COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AT BASELINE, 21 DAYS (END OF TRAINING), 3 AND 6 MONTHS POST-TRAINING WERE EVALUATED WITH INTENTION-TO-TREAT PARADIGM. RESULTS: SPEED INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN IN THE YT GROUP SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN PE AT 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP (P<0.036, EFFECT SIZE 0.51). IN THE PE GROUP, 'ACCURACY INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN SHOWED GREATER IMPROVEMENT THAN TAU ALONE AT 6-MONTH FOLLOW-UP (P<0.025, EFFECT SIZE 0.61). FOR SEVERAL OTHER COGNITIVE DOMAINS, SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS WERE OBSERVED WITH YT OR PE COMPARED WITH TAU ALONE (P<0.05, EFFECT SIZES 0.30-1.97). CONCLUSIONS: BOTH YT AND PE IMPROVED ATTENTION AND ADDITIONAL COGNITIVE DOMAINS WELL PAST THE TRAINING PERIOD, SUPPORTING OUR PRIOR REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECT OF YT ON SPEED INDEX OF ATTENTION DOMAIN. AS ADJUNCTS, YT OR PE CAN BENEFIT INDIVIDUALS WITH SZ. 2017 2 1252 49 FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY AND EVALUATION OF MEDITATION TO AUGMENT YOGA PRACTICE AMONG PERSONS DIAGNOSED WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. OBJECTIVE: TO DESIGN A MEDITATION PROTOCOL AND TEST ITS FEASIBILITY, ACCEPTABILITY AND EFFICACY IN CONJUNCTION WITH YT FOR PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ). METHODS: THE MEDITATION PROTOCOL CONSISTED OF ANAPANA (OBSERVING NORMAL RESPIRATION) AND YOGA NIDRA (SUPINE, RESTFUL AWARENESS). IN A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, MEDICATED AND CLINICALLY STABLE OUTPATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH SZ WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU), TAU AUGMENTED WITH YOGA TRAINING (YT), OR TAU AUGMENTED WITH MEDITATION AND YOGA TRAINING (MYT) FOR THREE WEEKS (N=145). ACCEPTABILITY, CLINICAL, SOCIAL AND COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS WERE ASSESSED AFTER 3 WEEKS AND 3 MONTHS POST RANDOMIZATION USING WITHIN GROUP AND BETWEEN GROUPS ANALYSES WITH REPEATED MEASURES MULTIVARIATE TESTS. RESULTS: NO GROUP-WISE DIFFERENCES IN COMPLIANCE, STUDY DISCONTINUATION, MAJOR/SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS OR ADVERSE EVENTS WERE NOTED. FOR SIX ASSESSED CLINICAL VARIABLES, THE DIRECTION OF CHANGES WERE IN THE DESIRED DIRECTION AND THE EFFECT SIZES WERE GREATER IN THE MYT GROUP COMPARED WITH THE TAU GROUP AT BOTH TIME POINTS. CHANGES IN SOCIAL FUNCTION VARIABLES WERE GREATER AT 3 MONTHS THAN AT 3 WEEKS. NOMINALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN INDIVIDUAL COGNITIVE DOMAINS WERE NOTED IN ALL GROUPS AT BOTH TIME POINTS. ALL EFFECT SIZES WERE IN THE SMALL TO MEDIUM RANGE. CONCLUSION: MYT IS FEASIBLE, ACCEPTABLE AND SHOWS MODEST BENEFITS FOR PERSONS WITH SZ. MYT CAN ALSO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE AND CLINICAL SYMPTOMS. LARGER STUDIES OF LONGER DURATION ARE WARRANTED. 2022 3 288 57 ADJUNCTIVE COGNITIVE REMEDIATION FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA USING YOGA: AN OPEN, NON-RANDOMIZED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: YOGA THERAPY (YT) IMPROVES COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, BUT ITS IMPACT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ) HAS NOT BEEN INVESTIGATED. AIMS: EVALUATE ADJUNCTIVE YT FOR COGNITIVE DOMAINS IMPAIRED IN SZ. METHODS: PATIENTS WITH SZ RECEIVED YT OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU; N = 65, N = 23, RESPECTIVELY). ACCURACY AND SPEED FOR SEVEN COGNITIVE DOMAINS WERE ASSESSED USING A COMPUTERIZED NEUROCOGNITIVE BATTERY (CNB), THUS MINIMIZING OBSERVER BIAS. SEPARATELY, YT WAS EVALUATED AMONG PATIENTS WITH BIPOLAR I DISORDER (N = 40), MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (N = 37), AND CARDIOLOGY OUTPATIENTS (N = 68). ALL PATIENTS ALSO RECEIVED ROUTINE PHARMACOTHERAPY. PATIENTS WERE NOT RANDOMIZED TO YT OR TAU. RESULTS: COMPARED WITH THE SZ/TAU GROUP, THE SZ/YT GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT WITH REGARD TO MEASURES OF ATTENTION FOLLOWING CORRECTIONS FOR MULTIPLE COMPARISONS; THE CHANGES WERE MORE PROMINENT AMONG THE MEN. IN THE OTHER DIAGNOSTIC GROUPS, DIFFERING PATTERNS OF IMPROVEMENTS WERE NOTED WITH SMALL TO MEDIUM EFFECT SIZES. CONCLUSIONS: OUR INITIAL ANALYSES SUGGEST NOMINALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA WITH ADJUNCTIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS YT. THE MAGNITUDE OF THE CHANGE VARIES BY COGNITIVE DOMAIN AND MAY ALSO VARY BY DIAGNOSTIC GROUP. 2012 4 978 38 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 5 1822 59 PROTOCOL TO EVALUATE THE IMPACT OF YOGA SUPPLEMENTATION ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ) IS A CHRONIC ILLNESS THAT IS TREATED SYMPTOMATICALLY. COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IS A CORE FEATURE OF SZ THAT IS RELATIVELY INTRACTABLE TO PHARMACOTHERAPY. YOGA CAN IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS. A RECENT OPEN TRIAL INDICATED SIGNIFICANT BENEFITS OF YOGA TRAINING (YT) IN CONJUNCTION WITH CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOTHERAPY AMONG PATIENTS WITH SZ. AIMS: TO DESCRIBE THE PROTOCOL FOR AN ONGOING RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL DESIGNED TO TEST WHETHER THE REPORTED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG SZ PATIENTS CAN BE REPLICATED. SECONDARILY, THE EFFECTS OF YT ON DAILY FUNCTIONING LIVING SKILLS ARE EVALUATED. METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SZ RECEIVE ROUTINE CLINICAL TREATMENT AND ARE RANDOMISED TO ADJUNCTIVE YT, ADJUNCTIVE PHYSICAL EXERCISE (PE) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (PROPOSED N = 234 TOTAL, N = 78 IN EACH GROUP). THE TRIAL INVOLVES YT OR PE 5 DAYS A WEEK AND LASTS 3 WEEKS. PARTICIPANTS ARE EVALUATED THRICE OVER 6 MONTHS. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS MEASURED BY TRAIL MAKING TEST, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA NEUROCOGNITIVE COMPUTERISED BATTERY WERE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES WHILE CLINICAL SEVERITY AND DAILY FUNCTIONING MEASURED BY INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS SURVEY WERE SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 309 PARTICIPANTS HAVE BEEN RANDOMISED AS OF 31 AUGUST 2013, WHICH EXCEEDED BEYOND 294 PROPOSED AFTER ATTRITION. ONCE PARTICIPANTS BEGIN YT OR PE THEY GENERALLY COMPLETE THE PROTOCOL. NO INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED. CONCLUSIONS: SHORT TERM YT IS FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE TO INDIAN SZ PATIENTS. IF BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YT ARE DETECTED, IT WILL PROVIDE A NOVEL ADJUNCTIVE COGNITIVE REMEDIATION STRATEGY FOR SZ PATIENTS. 2014 6 180 30 A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF YOGA FOR PREGNANT WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. BACKGROUND: YOGA MAY BE WELL SUITED FOR DEPRESSED AND ANXIOUS PREGNANT WOMEN, GIVEN REPORTED BENEFITS OF MEDITATION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND PREGNANT WOMEN'S PREFERENCE FOR NONPHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENTS. METHODS: WE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED 46 PREGNANT WOMEN WITH SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA INTERVENTION OR TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (TAU) IN ORDER TO EXAMINE FEASIBILITY AND PRELIMINARY OUTCOMES. RESULTS: YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH LEVELS OF CREDIBILITY AND SATISFACTION AS AN INTERVENTION FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY DURING PREGNANCY. PARTICIPANTS IN BOTH CONDITIONS REPORTED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY OVER TIME; AND YOGA WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER REDUCTION IN NEGATIVE AFFECT AS COMPARED TO TAU (BETA = -0.53, SE = 0.20, P = .011). CONCLUSION: PRENATAL YOGA WAS FOUND TO BE A FEASIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE INTERVENTION AND WAS ASSOCIATED WITH REDUCTIONS IN SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION; HOWEVER, PRENATAL YOGA ONLY SIGNIFICANTLY OUTPERFORMED TAU ON REDUCTION OF NEGATIVE AFFECT. 2015 7 2477 40 YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION TO MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT WITH BUPRENORPHINE+NALOXONE. OBJECTIVE: ACCORDING TO THE CDC, 2.6 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE AN OPIOID USE DISORDER AND DRUG OVERDOSE IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH. OPIOIDS ARE INVOLVED IN 63% OF OVERDOSE DEATHS. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE IDENTIFY EVIDENCE BASED TREATMENTS TO STEM THE TIDE OF THIS EPIDEMIC. THIS PILOT STUDY SERVES TO EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AS AN ADJUNCTIVE INTERVENTION FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH OPIOID USE DISORDER IN ACTIVE MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT (MAT). METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (N=26) WERE RECRUITED FROM A BUPRENORPHINE/NALOXONE MAT PROGRAM TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS STUDY. 13 PARTICIPANTS ENGAGED IN A 12 WEEK ADJUNCTIVE YOGA INTERVENTION WHILE REMAINING IN TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU) MAT. 13 MATCHED CONTROLS WERE RECRUITED AND REMAINED IN TAU MAT. BOTH GROUPS WERE EVALUATED AT BASELINE, 45 DAYS AND 90 DAYS FOR CHANGES IN CRAVING FOR OPIOIDS, TREATMENT RETENTION, RELAPSE RATES, SLEEP, AND SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY AND PERCEIVED STRESS. RESULTS: A TWO-WAY TREATMENT BY TIME ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WAS PERFORMED USING A MIXED EFFECTS MODEL. THE TREATMENT BY FOLLOW-UP TIME INTERACTION EFFECT WAS SIGNIFICANT FOR PERCEIVED STRESS (P=0.026) INDICATING THAT THE YOGA INTERVENTION HAD A LARGER EFFECT THAN TAU (MAT). CHANGES IN PERCEIVED STRESS DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY OVER TIME IN BOTH THE YOGA INTERVENTION GROUP AND THE TAU MAT MATCHED CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSION: THIS PILOT STUDY INDICATED STRONG EVIDENCE FOR YOGA BEING AN EFFECTIVE ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT TO MAT TAU IN REDUCING PERCEIVED STRESS. FURTHER RESEARCH WITH A LARGER POPULATION IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE IMPACT ON OTHER MENTAL HEALTH SYMPTOMS AND RELAPSE AND RETENTION RATES. 2018 8 270 42 ADD ON YOGA TREATMENT FOR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA: A MULTI-CENTRIC, RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. THE EFFICACY OF ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS IN THE TREATMENT OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IS MODEST AT BEST. PRELIMINARY STUDIES SUGGEST THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF ADD ON YOGA, A TRADITIONAL INDIAN PRACTICE, IN THE TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. HENCE, IN THIS STUDY, WE EXAMINED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A RANDOMIZED, WAIT-LIST CONTROLLED DESIGN FROM TWO CLINICAL INSTITUTES IN SOUTH INDIA. 89 PATIENTS (AGE - 34.20 +/- 8.06 YEARS; EDUCATION - 14.22 +/- 2.69 YEARS; 28 FEMALES) WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THE ADD-ON YOGA OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU - WAIT-LIST CONTROL) GROUP. PATIENTS HAD A MEAN ILLNESS DURATION OF 10.97 +/- 7.24 YEARS WITH AN AGE AT ONSET OF 23.34 +/- 5.81 YEARS. CENTRAL BLOCK RANDOMIZATION WAS FOLLOWED TO ENSURE CONCEALED ALLOCATION. PARTICIPANTS RANDOMIZED TO THE YOGA TREATMENT GROUP ATTENDED 12 SUPERVISED YOGA TRAINING SESSIONS OVER TWO WEEKS AND PRACTICED YOGA SESSIONS AT HOME FOR THE SUBSEQUENT 10 WEEKS. 64 PATIENTS COMPLETED THE TRIAL. AN INTENT TO TREAT ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED WITH 89 PARTICIPANTS USING A LINEAR MIXED MODEL. IMPROVEMENT IN NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS WAS OUR PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE. THE TWO GROUPS WERE MATCHED ON DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES AND BASELINE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY SEVERITY. PARTICIPANTS IN THE ADD-ON YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER IMPROVEMENT IN NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS (SANS BASELINE: 49.13 +/- 2.30; 12-WEEKS FOLLOW UP: 31.55 +/- 2.53) COMPARED TO THE TAU GROUP (SANS BASELINE: 51.22 +/- 2.40; 12-WEEKS FOLLOW UP: 45.30 +/- 2.93; T = 3.36; P = 0.006; COHEN'S D-0.65). THE CURRENT STUDY FINDINGS SUGGEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT FOR NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA PRACTICE AS A REGULAR CLINICAL INTERVENTION FOR PATIENTS NEEDS TO BE EXPLORED IN FUTURE STUDIES BY INTEGRATING YOGA SERVICES ALONG WITH OTHER CLINICAL SERVICES. 2021 9 875 42 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 10 2293 48 THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF ADD-ON YOGASANA INTERVENTION IN STABILIZED OUTPATIENT SCHIZOPHRENIA: RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED COMPARISON WITH EXERCISE AND WAITLIST. BACKGROUND: SCHIZOPHRENIA IS A HIGHLY DISABLING ILLNESS. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN YOGA TO BE A FEASIBLE ADD-ON THERAPY IN SCHIZOPHRENIA. AIMS: THE CURRENT STUDY AIMED TO TEST THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN OUTPATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: THE STUDY DONE AT A TERTIARY PSYCHIATRY CENTER USED A SINGLE BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED DESIGN WITH ACTIVE CONTROL AND WAITLIST GROUPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: CONSENTING PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA, EXERCISE, OR WAITLIST GROUP. THEY CONTINUED TO RECEIVE PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY THAT WAS UNCHANGED DURING THE STUDY. PATIENTS IN THE YOGA OR EXERCISE GROUP WERE OFFERED SUPERVISED DAILY PROCEDURES FOR ONE MONTH. ALL PATIENTS WERE ASSESSED BY A BLIND RATER AT THE START OF THE INTERVENTION AND AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. RESULTS: KENDALL TAU, A NONPARAMETRIC STATISTICAL TEST, SHOWED THAT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PATIENTS IN THE YOGA GROUP IMPROVED IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS) NEGATIVE AND TOTAL PANSS SCORES AS WELL AS SOCIAL FUNCTIONING SCORES COMPARED WITH THE EXERCISE AND WAITLIST GROUP. ODDS RATIO ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA GROUP IN TERMS OF NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS WAS ABOUT FIVE TIMES GREATER THAN EITHER THE EXERCISE OR WAITLIST GROUPS. CONCLUSION: IN SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WITH SEVERAL YEARS OF ILLNESS AND ON STABILIZED PHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPY, ONE-MONTH TRAINING FOLLOWED BY THREE MONTHS OF HOME PRACTICES OF YOGA AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT OFFERED SIGNIFICANT ADVANTAGE OVER EXERCISE OR TREATMENT AS USUAL. YOGA HOLDS PROMISE AS A COMPLEMENTARY INTERVENTION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA. 2012 11 1851 32 RAJA YOGA MEDITATION AND MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT FOR RELAPSE PREVENTION: A PILOT STUDY. THE CONTINUED NEED FOR ADVANCEMENT IN EVIDENCE-BASED SUD TREATMENT, AS WELL AS INCREASES IN TREATMENT EXPENSE AND DECLINE IN SUPPORT FROM INSURANCE PROVIDERS, SUGGEST THAT BRIEF, INNOVATIVE, AND AFFORDABLE TREATMENTS ARE NEEDED. MEDITATION, SPIRITUALITY, AND ADHERENCE TO MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENTS HAVE ALL BEEN SHOWN TO SUPPORT ABSTINENCE. THE CURRENT TRIAL ASSESSED EFFECTS OF SPIRITUALLY-BASED MEDITATION, VERSUS RELAXATION OR STANDARD TREATMENT, ON SUBSTANCE ABSTINENCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND DYSFUNCTION IN A PARTIALLY BUPRENORPHINE-SUPPORTED (41.5%) TREATMENT SAMPLE. PARTICIPANTS (N=40) WERE RECRUITED FROM AN INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT PROGRAM, IN WHICH THREE TREATMENT LOCATIONS ACTED AS SEPARATE EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS. ABSTINENCE WAS MEASURED THROUGH URINALYSES AT BASELINE AND WEEKLY THEREAFTER FOR THE DURATION OF THE INTERVENTION. PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND DYSFUNCTION WERE ASSESSED WITH A LIKERT-SCALED QUESTIONNAIRE MEASURING SYMPTOMS TYPICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH SUD. CO-VARYING FOR BUPRENORPHINE USE, PARTICIPANTS IN THE MEDITATION CONDITION HAD BETTER ODDS OF REMAINING ABSTINENT THAN PARTICIPANTS IN THE TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (TAU) AND RELAXATION CONDITIONS. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN SUBSTANCE ABSTINENCE BETWEEN THE RELAXATION AND TAU CONDITIONS. FURTHER, CO-VARYING OUT BASELINE THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES AT POST-COURSE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS AND DYSFUNCTION BETWEEN THE THREE CONDITIONS. RESULTS FROM THIS PILOT TRIAL SUGGEST THAT THIS SPIRITUALLY-INFORMED APPROACH MAY OFFER ADDITIVE SUPPORT TO INDIVIDUALS IN SUD TREATMENT, AS AN AID TO THE MEDITATIVE ASPECT OF THE 12 STEPS, OR A NON-12-STEP ALTERNATIVE SPIRITUAL SUPPLEMENT TO STANDARD SUD TREATMENT. 2019 12 2782 36 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA--A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: TREATMENT OF SCHIZOPHRENIA HAS REMAINED UNSATISFACTORY DESPITE THE AVAILABILITY OF ANTIPSYCHOTICS. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA THERAPY (YT) AS AN ADD-ON TREATMENT TO THE ONGOING ANTIPSYCHOTIC TREATMENT. METHOD: SIXTY-ONE MODERATELY ILL SCHIZOPHRENIA PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YT (N = 31) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE THERAPY (PT; N = 30) FOR 4 MONTHS. THEY WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE AND 4 MONTHS AFTER THE START OF INTERVENTION, BY A RATER WHO WAS BLIND TO THEIR GROUP STATUS. RESULTS: FORTY-ONE SUBJECTS (YT = 21; PT = 20) WERE AVAILABLE AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS FOR ASSESSMENT. SUBJECTS IN THE YT GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PSYCHOPATHOLOGY THAN THOSE IN THE PT GROUP AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. THEY ALSO HAD SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER SOCIAL AND OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND QUALITY OF LIFE. CONCLUSION: BOTH NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTIONS CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCTION IN SYMPTOMS, WITH YT HAVING BETTER EFFICACY. 2007 13 289 46 ADJUNCTIVE YOGA TRAINING FOR PERSONS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA: WHO BENEFITS? OBJECTIVE: THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO IDENTIFY FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCEPTABILITY AND EFFICACY OF YOGA TRAINING (YT) FOR IMPROVING COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (SZ). METHODS: WE ANALYSED DATA FROM TWO PUBLISHED CLINICAL TRIALS OF YT FOR COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION AMONG INDIANS WITH SZ: (1) A 21-DAY RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIAL (RCT, N = 286), 3 AND 6 MONTHS FOLLOW-UP AND (2) A 21-DAY OPEN TRIAL (N = 62). MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES WERE CONDUCTED TO EXAMINE THE ASSOCIATION OF BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS (AGE, SEX, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, EDUCATIONAL STATUS, DURATION, AND SEVERITY OF ILLNESS) WITH IMPROVEMENT IN COGNITION (I.E. ATTENTION AND FACE MEMORY) FOLLOWING YT. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCEPTABILITY WERE IDENTIFIED BY COMPARING BASELINE DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES BETWEEN SCREENED AND ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS AS WELL AS COMPLETERS VERSUS NON-COMPLETERS. RESULTS: ENROLLED PARTICIPANTS WERE YOUNGER THAN SCREENED PERSONS WHO DECLINED PARTICIPATION (T = 2.952, P = 0.003). NO OTHER CHARACTERISTICS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH STUDY ENROLLMENT OR COMPLETION. REGARDING EFFICACY, SCHOOLING DURATION WAS NOMINALLY ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER AND SUSTAINED COGNITIVE IMPROVEMENT ON A MEASURE OF FACIAL MEMORY. NO OTHER BASELINE CHARACTERISTICS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH EFFICACY OF YT IN THE OPEN TRIAL, THE RCT, OR THE COMBINED SAMPLES (N = 148). CONCLUSIONS: YT IS ACCEPTABLE EVEN AMONG YOUNGER INDIVIDUALS WITH SZ. IT ALSO ENHANCES SPECIFIC COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, REGARDLESS OF INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN SELECTED PSYCHOSOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS. THUS, YOGA COULD BE INCORPORATED AS ADJUNCTIVE THERAPY FOR PATIENTS WITH SZ. IMPORTANTLY, OUR RESULTS SUGGEST COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTION IS REMEDIABLE IN PERSONS WITH SZ ACROSS THE AGE SPECTRUM. 2021 14 2441 36 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 15 86 27 A MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTION FOR YOUNG WOMEN WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER: DESIGN AND BASELINE SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVES: DESPITE THE GAINS MADE BY CURRENT FIRST-LINE INTERVENTIONS FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER (MDD), MODEST RATES OF TREATMENT RESPONSE AND HIGH RELAPSE INDICATE THE NEED TO AUGMENT EXISTING INTERVENTIONS. FOLLOWING THEORY AND INITIAL RESEARCH INDICATING THE PROMISE OF MINDFUL YOGA INTERVENTIONS (MYIS), THIS STUDY EXAMINES MINDFUL YOGA AS A TREATMENT OF MDD. METHODS/DESIGN: THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL USES A SAMPLE OF YOUNG FEMALES (18-34 YEARS) TO EXAMINE THE EFFICACY AND COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF A 9-WEEK MANUALIZED MYI ADDED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU) VERSUS TAU ALONE. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES CONSIST OF CLINICIAN-ADMINISTERED (HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE) AND SELF-REPORT (DEPRESSION-ANXIETY-STRESS SCALES) MEASURES OF DEPRESSION. UNDERLYING MECHANISMS WILL BE EXAMINED, INCLUDING RUMINATION, NEGATIVE SELF-EVALUATION, INTOLERANCE OF UNCERTAINTY, INTEROCEPTIVE AWARENESS, AND DISPOSITIONAL MINDFULNESS. ASSESSMENTS WERE CONDUCTED AT PREINTERVENTION AND WILL BE CONDUCTED AT POSTINTERVENTION, 6-, AND 12-MONTH FOLLOW UP. RESULTS: THE BASELINE SAMPLE CONSISTS OF 171 FEMALES (88 WERE RANDOMIZED INTO THE MYI), REPORTING A BASELINE MAGE = 25.08 YEARS (SDAGE = 4.64), MHAMILTON-DEPRESSION = 18.39 (SDHAMILTON = 6.00), AND A MDASS-DEPRESSION = 21.02 (SDDASS = 9.36). CONCLUSION: THIS TRIAL WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE BENEFITS OF ADDING YOGA-BASED INTERVENTIONS TO TAU FOR YOUNG WOMEN WITH MDD AND THE MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH SUCH BENEFITS MAY OCCUR. 2020 16 418 41 BREATHING-FOCUSED YOGA AS AUGMENTATION FOR UNIPOLAR AND BIPOLAR DEPRESSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL: LE YOGA AXE SUR LA RESPIRATION COMME TRAITEMENT D'APPOINT POUR LA DEPRESSION UNIPOLAIRE ET BIPOLAIRE: UN ESSAI RANDOMISE CONTROLE. OBJECTIVE: PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION FREQUENTLY EXPERIENCE PERSISTENT RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS EVEN WITH OPTIMAL INTERVENTIONS. THESE PATIENTS OFTEN USE COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENTS, INCLUDING YOGA, AS A PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE OR ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT. THERE IS EVIDENCE FOR THE BENEFIT OF YOGA FOR DEPRESSION, BUT THIS HAS NOT BEEN RIGOROUSLY EVALUATED, PARTICULARLY IN BIPOLAR DEPRESSION. WE AIMED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY AND BENEFIT OF MANUALIZED BREATHING-FOCUSED YOGA IN COMPARISON TO PSYCHOEDUCATION AS AUGMENTATION TO PHARMACOTHERAPY FOR IMPROVING RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION IN UNIPOLAR AND BIPOLAR PATIENTS. METHODS: USING A RANDOMIZED SINGLE-BLIND CROSSOVER DESIGN, 72 OUTPATIENTS WITH UNIPOLAR OR BIPOLAR DEPRESSION WERE AUGMENTED WITH THE TWO 8-WEEK INTERVENTIONS AT SEPARATE TIMES, AS ADD-ONS TO CURRENT FIRST-LINE ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND MOOD STABILIZERS. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE WAS THE MONTGOMERY-ASBERG DEPRESSION RATING SCALE (MADRS). DUE TO THE HIGH DROPOUT OF PARTICIPANTS AFTER CROSSOVER AT WEEK 8, ANALYSIS FOCUSED ON BETWEEN-GROUP COMPARISONS OF YOGA AND PSYCHOEDUCATION DURING THE INITIAL 8 WEEKS OF THE STUDY. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DECLINE IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS, AS MEASURED BY THE MADRS, FOLLOWING 8 WEEKS OF YOGA. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN MADRS RATINGS BETWEEN INTERVENTION GROUPS. SIMILAR IMPROVEMENTS IN SELF-RATED DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND WELL-BEING WERE ALSO OBSERVED ACROSS TIME. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH YOGA AND PSYCHOEDUCATION MAY IMPROVE RESIDUAL SYMPTOMS OF UNIPOLAR AND BIPOLAR DEPRESSION AS ADD-ON TO MEDICATIONS. IN-CLASS GROUP SESSIONS AND LONG STUDY DURATIONS MAY REDUCE FEASIBILITY FOR THIS POPULATION. LARGER TRIALS WITH PARALLEL GROUP DESIGN AND SHORTER DURATION MAY BE MORE FEASIBLE. 2021 17 872 39 EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY ON FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS, SYMPTOMS AND FUNCTIONING IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. OBJECTIVE: FACIAL EMOTION RECOGNITION DEFICITS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY DEMONSTRATED IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND CAN IMPAIR SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING IN THESE PATIENTS. TREATMENTS TO IMPROVE THESE DEFICITS IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED PATIENTS HAVE NOT BEEN WELL STUDIED. YOGA THERAPY HAS BEEN DESCRIBED TO IMPROVE FUNCTIONING IN VARIOUS DOMAINS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA; HOWEVER, ITS EFFECT ON FERD IS NOT KNOWN. METHOD: ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED PATIENTS RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE YOGA (N=27), EXERCISE (N=17) OR WAITLIST GROUP (N=22) WERE ASSESSED AT BASELINE, 2ND MONTH, AND 4TH MONTH OF FOLLOW-UP BY RATERS BLIND TO GROUP STATUS. ASSESSMENTS INCLUDED POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS), SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING SCALE (SOFS), AND TOOL FOR RECOGNITION OF EMOTIONS IN NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS (TRENDS). RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN BASELINE FERD AND SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING (R=0.3, P=0.01). PAIRED SAMPLES T TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS, SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING AND PERFORMANCE ON TRENDS (P<0.05) IN THE YOGA GROUP, BUT NOT IN THE OTHER TWO GROUPS. MAXIMUM IMPROVEMENT OCCURRED AT THE END OF 2 MONTHS, AND IMPROVEMENT IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS PERSISTED AT THE END OF 4 MONTHS. CONCLUSION: YOGA THERAPY CAN BE A USEFUL ADD-ON TREATMENT TO IMPROVE PSYCHOPATHOLOGY, FERD, AND SOCIO-OCCUPATIONAL FUNCTIONING IN ANTIPSYCHOTIC-STABILIZED PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA. 2011 18 977 38 EFFECTS OF ANTENATAL YOGA ON MATERNAL ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: ANTENATAL DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ADVERSE OBSTETRIC AND MENTAL HEALTH OUTCOMES, YET PRACTICABLE NONPHARMACOLOGICAL THERAPIES, PARTICULARLY FOR THE LATTER, ARE LACKING. YOGA INCORPORATES RELAXATION AND BREATHING TECHNIQUES WITH POSTURES THAT CAN BE CUSTOMIZED FOR PREGNANT WOMEN. THIS STUDY TESTED THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN INTERVENTION FOR REDUCING MATERNAL ANXIETY DURING PREGNANCY. METHODS: FIFTY-NINE PRIMIPAROUS, LOW-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRES ASSESSING STATE (STATE TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY; STAI-STATE), TRAIT (STAI-TRAIT), AND PREGNANCY-SPECIFIC ANXIETY (WIJMA DELIVERY EXPECTANCY QUESTIONNAIRE; WDEQ) AND DEPRESSION (EDINBURGH POSTNATAL DEPRESSION SCALE; EPDS) BEFORE RANDOMIZATION (BASELINE) TO EITHER AN 8-WEEK COURSE OF ANTENATAL YOGA OR TREATMENT-AS-USUAL (TAU); BOTH GROUPS REPEATED THE QUESTIONNAIRES AT FOLLOW-UP. THE YOGA GROUP ALSO COMPLETED PRE- AND POSTSESSION STATE ANXIETY AND STRESS HORMONE ASSESSMENTS AT BOTH THE FIRST AND LAST SESSION OF THE 8-WEEK COURSE. RESULTS: A SINGLE SESSION OF YOGA REDUCED BOTH SUBJECTIVE AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURES OF STATE ANXIETY (STAI-S AND CORTISOL); AND THIS CLASS-INDUCED REDUCTION IN ANXIETY REMAINED AT THE FINAL SESSION OF THE INTERVENTION. MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSES IDENTIFIED ALLOCATION TO YOGA AS PREDICTIVE OF GREATER REDUCTION IN WDEQ SCORES (B = -9.59; BCA 95% CI = -18.25 TO -0.43; P = .014; D = -0.57), WHILE ALLOCATION TO TAU WAS PREDICTIVE OF SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED ELEVATION IN EPDS SCORES (B = -3.06; BCA 95% CI = -5.9 TO -0.17; P = .042; D = -0.5). NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN STATE OR TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES BETWEEN BASELINE AND FOLLOW-UP. CONCLUSION: ANTENATAL YOGA SEEMS TO BE USEFUL FOR REDUCING WOMEN'S ANXIETIES TOWARD CHILDBIRTH AND PREVENTING INCREASES IN DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMATOLOGY. 2014 19 805 26 EFFECT OF YOGA ON ANTIRETROVIRAL ADHERENCE POSTINCARCERATION IN HIV+ INDIVIDUALS. THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF STRESS ON ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY (ART) ADHERENCE AND THE MANY STRESSORS FACED BY PEOPLE RETURNING FROM INCARCERATION SUPPORT THE NEED FOR STRESS REDUCTION INTERVENTIONS FOR THIS POPULATION. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT 37 RETURNING CITIZENS LIVING WITH HIV AND SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS RANDOMIZED TO A 12-SESSION WEEKLY YOGA INTERVENTION WOULD EXPERIENCE IMPROVED ART ADHERENCE, LOWER VIRAL LOADS, AND LOWER HEART RATE AND BLOOD PRESSURE AS COMPARED TO 36 PEOPLE RANDOMIZED TO TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU). WE FOUND THAT ART ADHERENCE INCREASED FOR YOGA PARTICIPANTS AND DECREASED FOR TAU PARTICIPANTS. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES FOR VIRAL LOAD, HEART RATE, OR BLOOD PRESSURE. THE LACK OF STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS MAY BE DUE TO A SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND ENROLLMENT OF PEOPLE LARGELY IN HIV TREATMENT. STUDIES WITH LARGER SAMPLE SIZES AND PARTICIPANTS EXHIBITING LOW ART ADHERENCE ARE WARRANTED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND YOGA'S IMPACT. 2020 20 1483 33 INTEGRATING YOGA WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL GROUP-TREATMENT FOR MIXED DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE: AN EXPLORATIVE PILOT STUDY. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: YOGA HAS SHOWN PROMISE AS A TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY. THE PRESENT PILOT STUDY INVESTIGATED THE FEASIBILITY OF AN EIGHT-WEEK GROUPTREATMENT INTEGRATING EMOTION-FOCUSED PSYCHOEDUCATION, COMPASSION-FOCUSED THERAPY, AND VIRYA YOGA FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PATIENTS SEEKING TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN A PRIMARY HEALTHCARE CENTRE COMPLETED EITHER AN INTEGRATIVE GROUP-TREATMENT (N = 14) OR TREATMENT AS USUAL (TAU, N = 17). OUTCOME MEASURES WERE ANALYSED PRE- AND POSTTREATMENT. CORRELATIONS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP WERE INVESTIGATED BETWEEN TREATMENT OUTCOMES AND AMOUNT OF YOGA PRACTICE BETWEEN SESSIONS. RESULTS: LARGE WITHIN-GROUP EFFECT SIZES ON ALL OUTCOME MEASURES WERE FOUND AT POSTTREATMENT. SYMPTOM REDUCTION DID NOT DIFFER BETWEEN GROUPS (P = 0.155). IMPROVEMENT IN ALEXITHYMIA CORRELATED SIGNIFICANTLY (P < 0.05) WITH AMOUNT OF YOGA PRACTICE BETWEEN SESSIONS. CONCLUSION: INTEGRATING YOGA WITH A PSYCHOLOGICAL GROUP-TREATMENT IS A SOMEWHAT FEASIBLE APPROACH TO TREATMENT FOR DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY IN PRIMARY HEALTHCARE. 2020