1 866 140 EFFECT OF YOGA PROGRAM ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS OF ADOLESCENTS DWELLING IN AN ORPHAN HOME: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. EXECUTIVE FUNCTION (EF) IS IMPORTANT FOR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF CHILDREN. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT CHILDREN WITH POVERTY AND EARLY LIFE STRESS HAVE REDUCED EF. THE AIM OF THE STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PROGRAM ON THE EF OF ORPHAN ADOLESCENTS. SEVENTY TWO APPARENTLY HEALTHY ORPHAN ADOLESCENTS RANDOMIZED AND ALLOCATED INTO TWO GROUPS AS YOGA GROUP (N = 40; 14 GIRLS, AGE = 12.69 +/- 1.35 YRS) AND WAIT LIST CONTROL (WLC) GROUP (N = 32, 13 GIRLS, AGE = 12.58 +/- 1.52 YRS). YOGA GROUP UNDERWENT THREE MONTHS OF YOGA PROGRAM IN A SCHEDULE OF 90 MIN PER DAY, FOUR DAYS PER WEEK WHEREAS THE WLC GROUP FOLLOWED THE ROUTINE ACTIVITIES. THEY WERE ASSESSED BY STROOP COLOR-WORD TASK, DIGIT SYMBOL SUBSTITUTION TEST (DSST), DIGITS SPAN TEST AND TRIAL MAKING TEST (TMT) AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF THE PROGRAM. THE REPEATED MEASURES ANOVA SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN TIME AND GROUP INTERACTIONS (P < 0.05) FOR ALL SUBTESTS OF STROOP COLOR-WORD TASK AND DIGIT SPAN TEST AND PART-A OF TMT WHEREAS THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FOUND IN DSST AND TMT (PART-B). THE POST-HOC TEST WITH BONFERRONI ADJUSTMENT ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS (P < 0.001) WITHIN THE YOGA GROUP IN ALL TEST SCORES WHILE IN WRONG SCORE OF DSST DID NOT EXHIBIT SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION. WHEREAS THE WLC GROUP, SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT (P < 0.05) IN STROOP COLOR, COLOR-WORD SCORE, NET SCORE OF DSST, DIGIT SPAN FORWARD AND DIGIT SPAN TOTAL. THREE MONTHS YOGA PROGRAM WAS FOUND USEFUL FOR THE YOUNG ORPHAN ADOLESCENTS IN IMPROVING THEIR EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS. 2017 2 419 46 BREATHING-FOCUSED YOGA INTERVENTION ON RESPIRATORY DECLINE IN CHRONICALLY PESTICIDE-EXPOSED FARMERS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH LUNG AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION EXACERBATIONS. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, WE TESTED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF BREATHING FOCUSED YOGA INTERVENTION ON ALLEVIATION OF ADVERSE RESPIRATORY AND COGNITIVE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC PESTICIDE EXPOSURE IN FARMERS. METHODS: WE UNDERTOOK A PARALLEL, TWO-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WITH BLINDED OUTCOME ASSESSORS ON A CHRONICALLY PESTICIDE-EXPOSED FARMING POPULATION. THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT DISTRICT PANIPAT, STATE HARYANA LOCATED IN THE NORTHERN PART OF INDIA FROM NOVEMBER 2019 TO AUGUST 2020. A TOTAL OF 634 FARMERS WERE SCREENED, AND 140 FARMERS WERE RANDOMIZED TO BREATHING-FOCUSED YOGA INTERVENTION (BFY, N = 70) AND WAITLIST CONTROL ARMS (N = 65). BFY WAS DELIVERED WEEKLY IN 45-MIN GROUP SESSIONS OVER 12 WEEKS FOLLOWED BY HOME-BASED PRACTICE. THE PRIMARY OUTCOME WAS THE CHANGE IN SPIROMETRY-BASED MARKERS OF PULMONARY FUNCTION FROM BASELINE EXPRESSED AS RAW VALUES, GLOBAL LUNG INITIATIVE (GLI) PERCENT PREDICTED (PP), AND GLI Z-SCORES AFTER 24 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. SECONDARY VARIABLES WERE TRAIL MAKING TESTS (TMT A AND B), DIGIT SYMBOL SUBSTITUTION (DSST), AND WHO QUALITY OF LIFE-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). ANALYSIS WAS BY INTENTION-TO-TREAT. MEDIATION ANALYSIS WAS DONE CONSIDERING OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS AS POTENTIAL MEDIATORS. RESULTS: AT THE END OF 6 MONTHS OF INTERVENTION, THE OVERALL FOLLOW-UP IN THE PARTICIPANTS WAS 87.85% (N = 123); 90% (N = 63) IN THE CONTROL GROUP, AND 85.71% IN THE YOGA GROUP (N = 60). THE MEAN AGE OF THE STUDY COHORT (N = 140) WAS 38.75 (SD = 7.50) YEARS. COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, AT 24 WEEKS POST-INTERVENTION, THE BFY GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED STATUS OF THE RAW SAND Z SCORES MARKERS OF AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION, AFTER ADJUSTING FOR CONFOUNDERS, FEV1, FVC, FEF25-75 [Z SCORE-ADJUSTED MEAN DIFFERENCES (95% CI); 1.66 (1.10-2.21) 1.88 (1.21-2.55), AND 6.85 (5.12-8.57), RESPECTIVELY. A FRACTION OF FEF25-75 CHANGE (MEDIATION PERCENTAGE 23.95%) WAS EXPLAINED BY GLUTATHIONE AUGMENTATION. THERE WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN COGNITIVE SCORES OF DSST, TMT-A AND TMT-B, AND WHOQOL-BREF. CONCLUSION: IN CONCLUSION, REGULAR PRACTICE OF BFY COULD IMPROVE THE EXACERBATIONS IN THE MARKERS OF AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION IN CHRONICALLY PESTICIDE-EXPOSED FARMERS AND COGNITIVE VARIABLES. A SIGNIFICANT MEDIATING EFFECT OF GLUTATHIONE AUGMENTATION WAS ALSO OBSERVED CONCERNING THE EFFECT OF THE INTERVENTION ON FEF25-75. THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF BENEFICIAL EVIDENCE OF THE BREATHING-BASED YOGA INTERVENTION THAT NEEDS VALIDATION ACROSS DIFFERENT FARMING ETHNICITIES.CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION:WWW.CLINICALTRIALS.GOV, IDENTIFIER: CTRI/2019/11/021989. 2022 3 535 41 COMPARISON OF YOGA VERSUS PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, ATTENTION, AND WORKING MEMORY IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOLCHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. PURPOSE: EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, ATTENTION, AND MEMORY ARE AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF COGNITIVE HEALTH IN CHILDREN. IN THIS STUDY, WE ANALYZE THE EFFECT OF YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING, ATTENTION, AND MEMORY. METHODS: IN THIS PROSPECTIVE TWO-ARMED RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL, AROUND 802 STUDENTS FROM TEN SCHOOLS ACROSS FOUR DISTRICTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE DAILY 1 H YOGA TRAINING (N = 411) OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE (N = 391) FOR 2 MONTHS. EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, ATTENTION, AND MEMORY WERE STUDIED USING TRAIL MAKING TEST (TMT). YOGA (N = 377) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE (N = 371) STUDENTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE ANALYSES. THE DATA WERE ANALYZED USING INTENTION-TO-TREAT APPROACH USING STUDENT'S T-TEST. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN NUMERICAL TMT (TMTN) VALUES WITHIN YOGA (T = -2.17; P < 0.03) AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY (PA) (T = -3.37; P < 0.001) GROUPS FOLLOWING INTERVENTIONAL PERIOD. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN TMTN BETWEEN YOGA AND PA GROUPS (T = 0.44; P = 0.66). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN ALPHABETICAL TMT (TMTA) VALUES WITHIN YOGA (T = 6.21; P < 0.00) AND PA GROUPS (T = 1.19; P < 0.234) FOLLOWING INTERVENTIONAL PERIOD. HOWEVER, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN TMTA BETWEEN YOGA AND PA GROUPS (T = 3.46; P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA IMPROVES EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, ATTENTION, AND WORKING MEMORY AS EFFECTIVELY AS PHYSICAL EXERCISE INTERVENTION IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOLCHILDREN. 2019 4 1423 32 IMPROVEMENT IN NEUROCOGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AND SERUM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION TREATED WITH ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND YOGA. CONTEXT AND AIMS: IMPAIRMENT IN COGNITION IS WELL-KNOWN IN PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER. THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE EFFECT OF YOGA THERAPY WITH OR WITHOUT ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND ANTIDEPRESSANTS ALONE ON CERTAIN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION. CORRELATION BETWEEN CHANGES IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST PERFORMANCE AND SERUM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) LEVELS WAS ALSO EXPLORED. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ANTIDEPRESSANT-NAIVE/ANTIDEPRESSANT-FREE OUTPATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION RECEIVED ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION ALONE (N = 23) OR YOGA THERAPY WITH (N = 26) OR WITHOUT (N = 16) ANTIDEPRESSANTS. DEPRESSION WAS ASSESSED USING THE HAMILTON DEPRESSION RATING SCALE. NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS INCLUDED DIGIT-SPAN FORWARD AND BACKWARD, REY AUDITORY VERBAL LEARNING TEST, AND TRAIL MAKING TESTS (TMT-A AND B). THESE TESTS WERE ADMINISTERED BEFORE AND 3 MONTHS AFTER THE TREATMENT IN PATIENTS, AND ONCE IN HEALTHY COMPARISON SUBJECTS (N = 19). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: BASELINE DIFFERENCES WERE ANALYZED USING INDEPENDENT SAMPLE T-TEST, CHI-SQUARE, AND ONE-WAY ANOVA. PAIRED T-TEST WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE CHANGE FROM BASELINE TO FOLLOW-UP. PEARSON'S CORRELATION WAS USED TO EXPLORE THE ASSOCIATION OF CHANGE BETWEEN 2 VARIABLES. RESULTS: PATIENTS HAD IMPAIRED PERFORMANCE ON MOST NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS. AFTER 3 MONTHS, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT - PATIENTS' PERFORMANCE WAS COMPARABLE TO THAT OF HEALTHY CONTROLS ON MAJORITY OF THE TESTS. SIGNIFICANT INVERSE CORRELATION WAS OBSERVED BETWEEN INCREASE IN BDNF LEVELS AND IMPROVEMENT IN TMT "A" DURATION IN YOGA-ALONE GROUP (R = -0.647; P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: TO CONCLUDE THAT, YOGA THERAPY, ALONE OR IN COMBINATION WITH MEDICATIONS, IS ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS AND NEUROPLASTIC EFFECTS IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION. 2018 5 1463 40 INFLUENCE OF YOGA-BASED PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ON PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND SELF-EFFICACY IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. SELECTIVE ATTENTION AND EFFICACY ARE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF SCHOLASTIC PERFORMANCE IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. WHILE ATTEMPTS ARE BEING MADE TO INTRODUCE NEW METHODS TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE EITHER AS PART OF CURRICULAR OR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES IN SCHOOLS, THE SUCCESS RATES ARE MINIMAL. HENCE, THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE EFFECT OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION ON PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE AND SELF-EFFICACY IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. TWO HUNDRED TEN SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH AGES RANGING FROM 11 TO 16 YEARS (MEAN AGE +/- SD; 13.7 +/- 0.8 YEARS) SATISFYING THE INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA WERE RECRUITED FOR THE 10-DAY YOGA PROGRAM. AN EQUAL NUMBER OF AGE-MATCHED PARTICIPANTS (N = 210; MEAN +/- SD; 13.1 +/- 0.8 YEARS) WERE SELECTED FOR THE CONTROL GROUP. PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR ATTENTION AND PERFORMANCE AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF 10 DAYS USING TRAIL MAKING TASK (TMT) A AND B, AND SELF-EFFICACY QUESTIONNAIRE. THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED HIGHER SELF-EFFICACY AND IMPROVED PERFORMANCE AFTER 10 DAYS OF YOGA INTERVENTION. THE PERFORMANCE IN TMT-A AND -B OF THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER NUMBER OF ATTEMPTS WITH A REDUCTION IN TIME TAKEN TO COMPLETE THE TASK AND A NUMBER OF WRONG ATTEMPTS COMPARED WITH CONTROL GROUP. RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE ENHANCES SELF-EFFICACY AND PROCESSING SPEED WITH FINE MOTOR COORDINATION, VISUAL-MOTOR INTEGRATION, VISUAL PERCEPTION, PLANNING ABILITY, AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. 2016 6 1857 37 RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION IN RESIDENTS FROM ELDERLY HOMES: EFFECTS ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION. CONTEXT: ELDERLY HAVE INCREASED RISK FOR COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT AND DEMENTIA. YOGA THERAPY MAY BE HELPFUL IN ELDERLY TO IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTION. AIMS: WE EXAMINED THE BENEFITS OF YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION COMPARED WITH WAITLIST CONTROL GROUP ON COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN THE RESIDENTS OF ELDERLY HOMES. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: SINGLE BLIND CONTROLLED STUDY WITH BLOCK RANDOMIZATION OF ELDERLY HOMES. MATERIALS AND METHODS: STUDY SAMPLE INCLUDED YOGA GROUP (N=62) AND WAITLIST GROUP (N=58). A TOTAL OF 87 SUBJECTS (YOGA=44, WAITLIST=43) COMPLETED THE STUDY PERIOD OF 6 MONTHS. YOGA GROUP RECEIVED DAILY YOGA SESSIONS FOR 1 MONTH, WEEKLY UNTIL 3(RD) MONTH AND ENCOURAGED TO CONTINUE UNSUPERVISED UNTIL 6 MONTHS. THEY WERE ASSESSED ON REY'S AUDITORY VERBAL LEARNING TEST (RAVLT), REY'S COMPLEX FIGURE TEST (CFT), WECHSLER'S MEMORY SCALE (WMS)-DIGIT AND SPATIAL SPAN, CONTROLLED ORAL WORD ASSOCIATION (COWA) TEST, STROOP COLOR WORD INTERFERENCE TEST AND TRAIL MAKING TEST A AND B AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF 6(TH) MONTH. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: PAIRED T-TEST AND ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE (ANCOVA) TO COMPARE THE DIFFERENCE IN NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST SCORES. RESULTS: YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN IMMEDIATE AND DELAYED RECALL OF VERBAL (RAVLT) AND VISUAL MEMORY (CFT), ATTENTION AND WORKING MEMORY (WMS-SPATIAL SPAN), VERBAL FLUENCY (COWA), EXECUTIVE FUNCTION (STROOP INTERFERENCE) AND PROCESSING SPEED (TRAIL MAKING TEST-A) THAN WAITLIST GROUP AT THE END OF 6 MONTHS AFTER CORRECTING FOR CORRESPONDING BASELINE SCORE AND EDUCATION. CONCLUSION: YOGA BASED-INTERVENTION APPEARS BENEFICIAL TO IMPROVE SEVERAL DOMAINS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION IN ELDERLY LIVING IN RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES. STUDY FINDINGS NEED TO BE INTERPRETED AFTER CONSIDERING METHODOLOGICAL LIMITATIONS LIKE LACK OF ACTIVE COMPARISON GROUP. 2013 7 2828 41 YOGA VERSUS PHYSICAL EXERCISE FOR CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOL CHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND YOGA IS VERY EFFECTIVE IN IMPROVING HEALTH ESPECIALLY CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS AND ALSO OVERALL PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENTS. THERE ARE NO LARGE NUMBERS OF RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDIES CONDUCTED ON COMPARING YOGA WITH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOL CHILDREN WITH LARGE SAMPLE SIZE. OBJECTIVE AEROBIC TRAINING IS KNOWN TO IMPROVE PHYSICAL AND CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN CHILDREN. CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IS AN IMPORTANT INDICATOR OF HEALTH IN CHILDREN. IN THIS STUDY WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA VERSUS PHYSICAL EXERCISE TRAINING ON CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOL CHILDREN. SUBJECTS EIGHT HUNDRED TWO SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM 10 SCHOOLS ACROSS FOUR DISTRICTS WERE RECRUITED FOR THIS STUDY. METHODS IN THIS PROSPECTIVE TWO ARM RCT AROUND 802 STUDENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO RECEIVE DAILY ONE HOUR YOGA TRAINING (N = 411) OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE (N = 391) OVER A PERIOD OF TWO MONTHS. VO2 MAX WAS ESTIMATED USING 20 M SHUTTLE RUN TEST. HOWEVER, YOGA (N = 377) AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE (N = 371) STUDENTS CONTRIBUTED DATA TO THE ANALYSES. DATA WAS ANALYSED USING STUDENTS T TEST. RESULTS THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN VO2 MAX USING 20 M SHUTTLE RUN TEST IN BOTH YOGA (P < 0.001) AND EXERCISE (P < 0.001) GROUP FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN VO2 MAX BETWEEN YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP FOLLOWING INTERVENTION. HOWEVER, IN THE SUBGROUP WITH AN ABOVE MEDIAN CUT-OFF OF VO2 MAX; THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA GROUP COMPARED TO CONTROL GROUP FOLLOWING INTERVENTION (P = 0.03). CONCLUSION THE RESULTS SUGGEST YOGA CAN IMPROVE CARDIO-RESPIRATORY FITNESS AND AEROBIC CAPACITY AS PHYSICAL EXERCISE INTERVENTION IN ADOLESCENT SCHOOL CHILDREN. 2018 8 1986 31 SPATIAL AND VERBAL MEMORY TEST SCORES FOLLOWING YOGA AND FINE ARTS CAMPS FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN. THE PERFORMANCE SCORES OF CHILDREN (AGED 11 TO 16 YEARS) IN VERBAL AND SPATIAL MEMORY TESTS WERE COMPARED FOR TWO GROUPS (N = 30, EACH), ONE ATTENDING A YOGA CAMP AND THE OTHER A FINE ARTS CAMP. BOTH GROUPS WERE ASSESSED ON THE MEMORY TASKS INITIALLY AND AFTER TEN DAYS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE INTERVENTIONS. A CONTROL GROUP (N = 30) WAS SIMILARLY STUDIED TO ASSESS THE TEST-RETEST EFFECT. AT THE FINAL ASSESSMENT THE YOGA GROUP SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE OF 43% IN SPATIAL MEMORY SCORES (MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS, TUKEY TEST), WHILE THE FINE ARTS AND CONTROL GROUPS SHOWED NO CHANGE. THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT YOGA PRACTICE, INCLUDING PHYSICAL POSTURES, YOGA BREATHING, MEDITATION AND GUIDED RELAXATION IMPROVED DELAYED RECALL OF SPATIAL INFORMATION. 2004 9 858 62 EFFECT OF YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL MEASURES IN CHILDREN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SEPARATELY REPORTED THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND YOGA IN CHILDREN, SHOWING PHYSICAL, COGNITIVE AND EMOTIONAL BENEFITS. OBJECTIVES: THE PRESENT RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL ASSESSED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE ON PHYSICAL FITNESS, COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE, SELF-ESTEEM, AND TEACHER-RATED BEHAVIOR AND PERFORMANCE, IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. METHODS: 98 SCHOOL CHILDREN BETWEEN 8 TO 13 YEARS WERE RANDOMIZED AS YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUPS {N = 49 EACH; (YOGA: 15 GIRLS, GROUP MEAN AGE 10.4 +/- 1.2 YEARS), (PHYSICAL EXERCISE: 23 GIRLS, GROUP MEAN AGE 10.5 +/- 1.3 YEARS)}. BOTH GROUPS WERE BLIND ASSESSED AFTER ALLOCATION, USING: (I) THE EUROFIT PHYSICAL FITNESS TEST BATTERY, (II) STROOP COLOR-WORD TASK FOR CHILDREN, (III) BATTLE'S SELF-ESTEEM INVENTORY AND (IV) THE TEACHERS' RATING OF THE CHILDREN'S OBEDIENCE, ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, ATTENTION, PUNCTUALITY, AND BEHAVIOR WITH FRIENDS AND TEACHERS. AFTER ASSESSMENTS THE YOGA GROUP PRACTICED YOGA (BREATHING TECHNIQUES, POSTURES, GUIDED RELAXATION AND CHANTING), 45 MINUTES EACH DAY, 5 DAYS A WEEK. DURING THIS TIME THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP HAD JOGGING-IN-PLACE, RAPID REPETITIVE MOVEMENTS AND RELAY RACES OR GAMES. BOTH GROUPS WERE ASSESSED AT THE END OF 3 MONTHS. DATA WERE ANALYZED WITH RM ANOVA AND POST-HOC TESTS WERE BONFERRONI ADJUSTED. RESULTS: THERE WAS ONE SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS. THIS WAS IN SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM WHICH WAS HIGHER AFTER PHYSICAL EXERCISE COMPARED TO YOGA (P < 0.05). ALL THE CHANGES REPORTED BELOW ARE BASED ON AFTER-BEFORE COMPARISONS, WITHIN EACH GROUP. BOTH GROUPS SHOWED AN INCREASE IN BMI, AND NUMBER OF SIT-UPS (P < 0.001). BALANCE WORSENED IN THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP, WHILE PLATE TAPPING IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.001). IN THE STROOP TASK BOTH GROUPS SHOWED IMPROVED COLOR, WORD- AND COLOR-WORD NAMING (P < 0.01), WHILE THE PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP SHOWED HIGHER INTERFERENCE SCORES. TOTAL, GENERAL AND PARENTAL SELF-ESTEEM IMPROVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: YOGA AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE ARE USEFUL ADDITIONS TO THE SCHOOL ROUTINE, WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE IMPROVING SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: THE STUDY WAS REGISTERED IN THE CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY OF INDIA (CTRI/2012/11/003112). 2013 10 817 35 EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE ABILITIES IN SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM A SOCIOECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUND: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE EFFECT OF YOGA, COMPARED TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON THE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN 7-9 YEAR-OLD SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM A SOCIOECONOMIC DISADVANTAGED BACKGROUND. DESIGN: TWO HUNDRED (200) SCHOOLCHILDREN FROM BANGALORE, INDIA, AFTER BASELINE ASSESSMENT OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING WERE RANDOMLY ALLOCATED TO EITHER A YOGA OR A PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY GROUP. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS (ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION, VISUO-SPATIAL ABILITIES, VERBAL ABILITY, AND ABSTRACT THINKING) WERE ASSESSED USING AN INDIAN ADAPTATION OF THE WECHSLER INTELLIGENCE SCALE FOR CHILDREN AT BASELINE, AFTER 3 MONTHS OF INTERVENTION, AND LATER AT A 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. RESULTS: OF THE 200 SUBJECTS, 193 WERE ASSESSED AT 3 MONTHS AFTER THE STUDY, AND THEN 180 WERE ASSESSED AT THE 3-MONTH FOLLOW-UP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE BETWEEN THE TWO STUDY GROUPS (YOGA VERSUS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY) AT POSTINTERVENTION, AFTER CONTROLLING FOR GRADE LEVELS. IMPROVEMENT IN THE MEAN SCORES OF COGNITIVE TESTS FOLLOWING INTERVENTION VARIED FROM 0.5 (ARITHMETIC) TO 1.4 (CODING) FOR THE YOGA GROUP AND 0.7 (ARITHMETIC) TO 1.6 (VOCABULARY) IN THE PHYSICAL-ACTIVITY GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA WAS AS EFFECTIVE AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN IMPROVING COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN 7-9 YEAR OLD SCHOOLCHILDREN. FURTHER STUDIES ARE NEEDED TO EXAMINE THE DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE. 2012 11 1957 38 SELF-ESTEEM AND PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS IN SCHOOL CHILDREN AFTER 4(1/2) MONTHS OF YOGA. INTRODUCTION: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IS KNOWN TO IMPROVE SELF-ESTEEM OF CHILDREN. LOW SELF-ESTEEM CAUSES DISTRACTION OF ATTENTION WHICH LEADS TO DECLINE IN PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS. THE PERFORMANCE OF A CHILD AT SCHOOL DEPENDS ON MULTIPLE FACTORS, A MAJOR FACTOR BEING ATTENTION. HENCE, THE PRESENT STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO SEE (I) THE EFFECT 4(1/2) MONTHS OF YOGA PRACTICE HAD ON CHILDREN'S (A) PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS, (B) SELF-ESTEEM AND (II) THE CORRELATION BETWEEN YOGA PERFORMANCE AND (A) ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, (B) BEHAVIOR WITH PEERS, (C) BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, (D) PUNCTUALITY, (E) PARTICIPATION IN EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE 116 CHILDREN WITH GROUP MEAN AGE +/- STANDARD DEVIATION; 10.2 +/- 0.6 YEARS. WE ASSESSED THEM FOR (I) SELF-ESTEEM USING INDIAN ADAPTATION OF BATTLE'S SELF ESTEEM INVENTORY FOR CHILDREN AND (II) PERFORMANCE IN ATTENTIONAL TASKS USING TWO DIFFERENT TESTS, I.E., SIX LETTER CANCELLATION TEST (SLCT) AND DIGIT LETTER SUBSTITUTION TEST (DLST) AND (III) THE TEACHER'S RATING SCALE WHICH ANALYZED THE TEACHER'S ASSESSMENT OF THE CHILDREN'S ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE, BEHAVIOR WITH PEERS, BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, PUNCTUALITY, YOGA PRACTICE, AND PARTICIPATION IN EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES ON AN ANALOG SCALE, BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION. DATA WERE ANALYZED WITH PASW (SPSS STATISTICS 24) USING THE T-TEST FOR PAIRED DATA. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE SCORES OF (I) SLCT (P < 0.001), (II) DLST (P < 0.001), (III) SOCIAL SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.01), (IV) ACADEMIC SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.001), AND (V) TOTAL SELF-ESTEEM (P < 0.001) AFTER 60 MIN/DAY OF YOGA PRACTICE FOR 4(1/2) MONTHS. PEARSON CORRELATION SHOWED A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN YOGA PERFORMANCE AND THE BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS (R = 0.221 AND P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: YOGA PRACTICE IS BENEFICIAL FOR SCHOOL CHILDREN AS IT IMPROVES ATTENTION, CONCENTRATION, MEMORY, MOTOR SPEED, AND SELF-ESTEEM (SOCIAL, ACADEMIC AND TOTAL). IN ADDITION, IMPROVED YOGA PERFORMANCE IMPROVES BEHAVIOR WITH TEACHERS, THUS IMPROVING DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOL. 2019 12 1355 28 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ON ATTENTION IN CHILDREN. AIMS: TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES, NAMELY, CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) AND SUPINE REST (SR), USING THE SIX LETTER CANCELLATION TASK (SLCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: THE SUBJECTS CONSISTED OF 208 SCHOOL STUDENTS, (132 BOYS, 76 GIRLS) IN THE AGE RANGE OF 13 - 16 YEARS. THE SUBJECTS WERE ASSESSED ON SLCT BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER BOTH YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES. RESULTS: AFTER BOTH PRACTICES, THE TOTAL AND NET SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, ALTHOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE WAS MORE AFTER CM THAN AFTER SR IN THE NET SCORES (14.5 VERSUS 11.31%). THE NET SCORE CHANGE IN THE CM SESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER THAN THE CHANGE IN THE SR, WHEREAS, THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE WRONG CANCELLATION SCORE. AFTER EITHER PRACTICE, THE TOTAL AND NET SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED, IRRESPECTIVE OF GENDER AND AGE. CONCLUSIONS: BOTH CM AND SR LED TO IMPROVEMENT IN PERFORMANCE, AS ASSESSED BY SLCT, BUT THE CHANGE CAUSED BY CM WAS LARGER THAN SR. 2010 13 681 41 EFFECT OF ADD-ON YOGA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AMONG SUBSTANCE ABUSERS IN A RESIDENTIAL THERAPEUTIC CENTER: RANDOMIZED COMPARATIVE STUDY. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC VULNERABILITY CHARACTERIZES SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDER WITH CONSEQUENT RELAPSE. THE PROCESS OF ABSTINENCE DEPENDS ON COGNITIVE RECOVERY. HENCE, BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION SHOULD ACCOUNT FOR COGNITIVE DIMENSION OF SUBSTANCE ABUSERS. RECENT STUDIES HIGHLIGHT YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION AS A PROMISING ADD-ON THERAPY FOR TREATING AND PREVENTING ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS. PURPOSE: THE STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF A YOGA-BASED INTERVENTION AS AN ADD-ON IN ENHANCING COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS, COMPARED WITH PHYSICAL EXERCISE TO NEWLY ADMITTED SUBSTANCE ABUSERS SEEKING AN INPATIENT TREATMENT PROGRAM. METHODS: THE STUDY WAS A SINGLE-BLIND, RANDOMIZED, COMPARATIVE DESIGN THAT INCLUDED 96 MALE PARTICIPANTS, BETWEEN 18 AND 40 YEARS IN A RESIDENTIAL REHABILITATION TREATMENT UNIT. PARTAKERS IN THE YOGA OR PHYSICAL EXERCISE GROUP RECEIVED SUPERVISED DAILY TRAINING FOR 12 WEEKS, IN ADDITION TO STANDARD REHABILITATION TREATMENT. RATERS BLIND TO THE STUDY ASSESSED THE PATIENTS ON DIGIT SPAN TASK, CANCELLATION TEST, AND STROOP TESTS AT THE BASELINE AND FOLLOWING 12 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION. RESULTS: A SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT IN DIGIT FORWARD (YOGA - P < 0.0005, D = 0.81; EXERCISE - P < 0.0005, D = 0.73), DIGIT BACKWARD (YOGA - P < 0.0005, D = 0.88; EXERCISE - P < 0.0005, D = 0.58), AND LETTER CANCELLATION TEST SCORES (YOGA - P < 0.0005, D = 1.31; EXERCISE - P < 0.0005, D = 1.4) WERE OBSERVED IN BOTH THE YOGA AND THE EXERCISE GROUPS. STROOP WORD AND COLOR TASK SCORES WERE SEEN SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER FOLLOWING YOGA (P < 0.005, D = 0.74; P < 0.005, D = 1.13) AND EXERCISE (P < 0.0005, D = 0.62; P < 0.0005, D = 0.61). FURTHERMORE, STROOP COLOR-WORD TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT ENHANCEMENT AFTER YOGA (P < 0.0005, D = 1.10) AND EXERCISE (P < 0.0005, D = 0.42), WITH DEGREE OF VARIATION HIGHER IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSION: OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT THE ADD-ON YOGA OR EXERCISE-BASED INTERVENTION SHOW ENHANCEMENT OF COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS. THESE FINDINGS PROVIDE THE UTILITY OF YOGA AND EXERCISE-BASED INTERVENTION IN IMPROVING COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AMONG SUBSTANCE ABUSERS. FURTHERMORE, RIGOROUS TRIALS ARE NEEDED TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THESE PROCEDURES. 2018 14 2507 41 YOGA BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION AFTER CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS SURGERY: ONE-YEAR RESULTS ON LVEF, LIPID PROFILE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES--A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO COMPARE THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF YOGA BASED CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM WITH ONLY PHYSIOTHERAPY BASED PROGRAM AS AN ADD-ON TO CONVENTIONAL REHABILITATION AFTER CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS GRAFTING (CABG) ON RISK FACTORS. METHODS: IN THIS SINGLE BLIND PROSPECTIVE RANDOMIZED PARALLEL TWO ARMED ACTIVE CONTROL STUDY, 1026 PATIENTS POSTED FOR CABG AT NARAYANA HRUDAYALAYA INSTITUTE OF CARDIAC SCIENCES, BENGALURU (INDIA) WERE SCREENED. OF THESE, 250 MALE PARTICIPANTS (35-65 YEARS) WHO SATISFIED THE SELECTION CRITERIA AND CONSENTED WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS. WITHIN AND BETWEEN GROUP COMPARISONS WERE DONE AT THREE POINTS OF FOLLOW UP (I.E. 6TH WEEK, 6TH MONTH, AND 12TH MONTH) BY USING WILCOXON'S SIGNED RANKS TEST AND MANN WHITNEY U TEST RESPECTIVELY. RESULTS: YOGA GROUP HAD SIGNIFICANTLY (P = 0.001, MANN WHITNEY) BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN LVEF THAN CONTROL GROUP IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE EF (<53%) AFTER 1 YEAR. THERE WAS A BETTER REDUCTION IN BMI IN THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.038, BETWEEN GROUPS) IN THOSE WITH HIGH BASELINE BMI (>/=23) AFTER 12 MONTHS. YOGA GROUP SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P = 0.008, WILCOXON'S) REDUCTION IN BLOOD GLUCOSE AT ONE YEAR IN THOSE WITH HIGH BASELINE FBS >/=110 MG/DL. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN YOGA THAN THE CONTROL GROUP IN HDL (P = 0.003), LDL (P = 0.01) AND VLDL (P = 0.03) IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE VALUES. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER IMPROVEMENT (P = 0.02, BETWEEN GROUPS) IN POSITIVE AFFECT IN YOGA GROUP. WITHIN YOGA GROUP, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN PERCEIVED STRESS (P = 0.001), ANXIETY (P = 0.001), DEPRESSION (P = 0.001), AND NEGATIVE AFFECT (P = 0.03) WHILE IN THE CONTROL GROUP THERE WAS REDUCTION (P = 0.003) ONLY IN SCORES ON ANXIETY. CONCLUSION: ADDITION OF YOGA BASED RELAXATION TO CONVENTIONAL POST-CABG CARDIAC REHABILITATION HELPS IN BETTER MANAGEMENT OF RISK FACTORS IN THOSE WITH ABNORMAL BASELINE VALUES AND MAY HELP IN PREVENTING RECURRENCE. 2014 15 1356 43 IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF TWO YOGA-BASED RELAXATION TECHNIQUES ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM RELAPSING REMITTING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY. COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (CI) IS AN IMPORTANT FEATURE OF RELAPSING REMITTING MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (RRMS). YOGIC RELAXATION TECHNIQUES HAVE BEEN FOUND USEFUL IN IMPROVING VARIOUS COGNITIVE DOMAINS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. EIGHTEEN SUBJECTS (13 FEMALES) IN THE AGE RANGE OF 51.5 +/- 12.72 YEARS WITH THE DIAGNOSIS OF RRMS BY A NEUROLOGIST (MCDONALD CRITERIA 2010) SINCE LAST 18.16 +/- 12.59 YEARS WERE RECRUITED INTO THE STUDY FROM A NEURO-REHABILITATION CENTRE IN GERMANY. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE BEFORE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER TWO RANDOMLY ALLOCATED 30-MIN SESSIONS OF YOGIC RELAXATION: CYCLIC MEDITATION (CM) AND SR (SUPINE REST OR SHAVASANA). ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE FOR ATTENTION, PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE, INFORMATION PROCESSING SPEED, EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS, AND IMMEDIATE AND DELAYED RECALL USING STANDARD PSYCHOMETRIC TOOLS. RMANOVA WAS APPLIED TO ANALYSE THE DATA USING SPSS VERSION 10. BOTH CM AND SR SESSIONS IMPROVED SCORES ON DIGIT SYMBOL SUBSTITUTION TEST (DSST) (P < 0.01) AND AUDITORY VERBAL LEARNING TEST (AVLT) (P < 0.05). THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER PERFORMANCE IN TRAIL MAKING TEST (TMT)-A AND FORWARD DIGIT SPAN (FDS) AFTER CM AS COMPARED TO SR (P < 0.01). YOGIC RELAXATION TECHNIQUES MAY HAVE AN IMMEDIATE ENHANCING EFFECT ON PROCESSING SPEED, PSYCHOMOTOR PERFORMANCE, AND RECALL OF RRMS PATIENTS. CM IS BETTER THAN SR IN IMPROVING PROCESSING SPEED, SHORT-TERM MEMORY, AND VERBAL WORKING MEMORY. 2016 16 946 41 EFFECTS OF A 12-WEEKS YOGA INTERVENTION ON MOTOR AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. SINCE EARLY CHILDHOOD IS REGARDED AS AN IMPORTANT PERIOD OF MOTOR AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT, UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY ON MOTOR ABILITES AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN HAS MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF A 12 WEEKS' YOGA INTERVENTION PROGRAM ON MOTOR AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN. PRESCHOOL CHILDREN (N = 45; AGE 5-6 YEARS) ATTENDING REGULAR PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS WERE NON-RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO YOGA INTERVENTION (N = 23; 30 MIN SESSIONS THREE TIMES PER WEEK) OR A CONTROL GROUP (N = 22; NO ADDITIONAL ORGANIZED PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PROGRAM). EXERCISE TRAINING FOR THE INTERVENTION GROUP INCLUDED YOGA PROGRAM. MOTOR ABILITIES (BOT-2 SUBTESTS: FINE MOTOR INTEGRATION, MANUAL DEXTERITY, BALANCE AND BILATERAL COORDINATION), AND COGNITIVE ABILITIES (SCHOOL MATURITY TEST SUBTESTS: VISUAL MEMORY, STACKING CUBES AND CODES) WERE ASSESSED BEFORE AND AFTER THE INTERVENTION PERIOD IN BOTH GROUPS. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING REPEATED-MEASURES ANOVA. PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP IMPROVED FINE MOTOR INTEGRATION (P = 0.022), FINE MOTOR SKILLS IN GENERAL (0.029), BILATERAL COORDINATION (0.000), BALANCE (0.000), AND BODY COORDINATION (0.000). PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S PARTICIPATION IN THE PRESCHOOL YOGA INTERVENTION SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THEIR MOTOR ABILITIES, BUT NOT THEIR COGNITIVE ABILITIES. 2021 17 881 40 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES AND C-REACTIVE PROTEIN IN EMPLOYEES OF SMALL-SCALE INDUSTRIES. OBJECTIVE: THE PRESENT STUDY INTENDS TO SEE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICES ON LIPID PROFILE, INTERLEUKIN (IL)-6, TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (TNF)-ALPHA, AND HIGH-SENSITIVITY-C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HS-CRP) AMONG APPARENTLY HEALTHY ADULTS EXPOSED TO OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IN THE PRESENT STUDY, 48 PARTICIPANTS AGED 30-58 YEARS (41.5 +/- 5.2) WHO WERE EXPOSED TO OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS WERE RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS, THAT IS, EXPERIMENTAL AND WAIT-LIST CONTROL. ALL THE PARTICIPANTS WERE ASSESSED FOR LIPID PROFILE, IL-6, TNF-ALPHA, AND HS-CRP AT THE BASELINE AND AFTER COMPLETION OF 3 MONTHS OF YOGA TRAINING INTERVENTION. THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP UNDERWENT YOGA TRAINING INTERVENTION FOR 1 H FOR 6 DAYS A WEEK FOR 3 MONTHS, WHEREAS CONTROL GROUP CONTINUED WITH THEIR DAILY ACTIVITIES EXCEPT YOGA TRAINING. DATA ANALYSIS WAS DONE USING STATISTICAL SOFTWARE SPSS VERSION 20.0. DATA WERE ANALYZED USING PAIRED T-TESTS AND INDEPENDENT T-TEST. RESULTS: THE RESULTS OF WITHIN GROUP COMPARISON REVEALED HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.001), HIGH-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (P < 0.001), LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL)(P < 0.01), HS-CRP (P < 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.001), AND TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.001) IN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP. COMPARISON BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUP REVEALED SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN CHOLESTEROL (P < 0.01), LDL (P < 0.05), IL-6 (P < 0.01), TNF-ALPHA (P < 0.01), AND HS-CRP (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: A YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION SEEMS TO BE A HIGHLY PROMISING ALTERNATIVE THERAPY WHICH FAVORABLY ALTERS INFLAMMATORY MARKERS AND METABOLIC RISK FACTORS. 2017 18 746 37 EFFECT OF SAHAJ YOGA ON NEURO-COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM MAJOR DEPRESSION. COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS ARE IMPAIRED IN MAJOR DEPRESSION. STUDIES ON THE EFFECTS OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS HAVE SHOWN IMPROVEMENT IN MEMORY, VIGILANCE AND ANXIETY LEVELS. 30 PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM MAJOR DEPRESSION (AGE 18 TO 45 YEARS) WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: GROUP 1: (10 MALES AND 5 FEMALES) PATIENTS WHO PRACTISED SAHAJ YOGA MEDITATION AND ALSO RECEIVED CONVENTIONAL ANTI-DEPRESSANT MEDICATION. GROUP 2: (9 MALES AND 6 FEMALES) PATIENTS WHO ONLY RECEIVED CONVENTIONAL ANTIDEPRESSANT MEDICATION. GROUP 1 PATIENTS WERE ADMINISTERED SAHAJ YOGA PRACTICE FOR 8 WEEKS. NEURO-COGNITIVE TEST BATTERY CONSISTING OF LETTER CANCELLATION TEST (LCT), TRAIL MAKING TEST 'A' (TTA), TRAIL MAKING TEST 'B' (TTB), RUFF FIGURAL FLUENCY TEST (RFFT), FORWARD DIGIT SPAN (FDS) & REVERSE DIGIT SPAN TEST (RDS) WAS USED TO ASSESS FOLLOWING COGNITIVE DOMAINS: ATTENTION SPAN, VISUO-MOTOR SPEED, SHORT-TERM MEMORY, WORKING MEMORY AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS. AFTER 8 WEEKS, BOTH GROUP 1 AND GROUP 2 SUBJECTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN LCT, TTA & TTB BUT IMPROVEMENT IN LCT WAS MORE MARKED IN GROUP 1 SUBJECTS. ALSO, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN RDS SCORES IN ONLY GROUP 1 SUBJECTS (P < 0.05). THE RESULTS THEREBY, DEMONSTRATE THAT SAHAJ YOGA PRACTICE IN ADDITION TO THE IMPROVEMENT IN VARIOUS OTHER COGNITIVE DOMAINS SEEN WITH CONVENTIONAL ANTI-DEPRESSANTS, CAN LEAD TO ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENT IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS LIKE MANIPULATION OF INFORMATION IN THE VERBAL WORKING MEMORY AND ADDED IMPROVEMENT IN ATTENTION SPAN AND VISUO-MOTOR SPEED OF THE DEPRESSIVES. 2006 19 818 43 EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS IN CLIMACTERIC SYNDROME: A RANDOMISED CONTROL STUDY. OBJECTIVE: TO ASSESS THE EFFICACY OF AN INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY (IAYT) ON COGNITIVE ABILITIES IN CLIMACTERIC SYNDROME. DESIGN: A RANDOMISED CONTROL STUDY WHEREIN THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS. SETTINGS: FOURTEEN CENTRES OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA YOGA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, BANGALORE, INDIA. SAMPLE: ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN BETWEEN 40 AND 55 YEARS WITH FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE LEVEL EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN 15 MIU/ML. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY PERIMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WERE RANDOMLY ALLOTTED INTO THE YOGA AND THE CONTROL GROUPS. METHODS: THE YOGA GROUP PRACTISED A MODULE COMPRISING BREATHING PRACTICES, SUN SALUTATION AND CYCLIC MEDITATION, WHEREAS THE CONTROL GROUP PRACTISED A SET OF SIMPLE PHYSICAL EXERCISES, UNDER SUPERVISION (1 HOUR/DAY, 5 DAYS/WEEK FOR 8 WEEKS). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ASSESSMENTS WERE MADE BY VASOMOTOR SYMPTOM CHECKLIST, SIX-LETTER CANCELLATION TEST (SLCT) FOR ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION AND PUNIT GOVIL INTELLIGENCE MEMORY SCALE (PGIMS) WITH TEN SUBTESTS. RESULTS: THE WILCOXON TEST SHOWED SIGNIFICANT (P < 0.001) REDUCTION IN HOT FLUSHES, NIGHT SWEATS AND SLEEP DISTURBANCE IN YOGA GROUP, WITH A TREND OF SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GROUPS AT P = 0.06 ON MANN-WHITNEY TEST IN NIGHT SWEATS. THERE WAS NO CHANGE WITHIN OR BETWEEN GROUPS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE SLCT SCORE AND THE PGIMS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN EIGHT OF TEN SUBTESTS IN THE YOGA GROUP AND SIX OF TEN SUBTESTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE YOGA GROUP PERFORMED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER (P < 0.001) WITH HIGHER EFFECT SIZES IN SLCT AND SEVEN TESTS OF PGIMS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: INTEGRATED APPROACH OF YOGA THERAPY CAN IMPROVE HOT FLUSHES AND NIGHT SWEATS. IT ALSO CAN IMPROVE COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS SUCH AS REMOTE MEMORY, MENTAL BALANCE, ATTENTION AND CONCENTRATION, DELAYED AND IMMEDIATE RECALL, VERBAL RETENTION AND RECOGNITION TESTS. 2008 20 884 35 EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON ONE LEG STANDING AND FUNCTIONAL REACH TESTS IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS WITH POOR POSTURAL CONTROL. [PURPOSE] THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF YOGA TRAINING ON STATIC AND DYNAMIC STANDING BALANCE IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS WITH POOR STANDING BALANCE. [SUBJECTS AND METHODS] SIXTEEN OBESE VOLUNTEERS WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED INTO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE YOGA TRAINING PROGRAM WAS PERFORMED FOR 45 MINUTES PER DAY, 3 TIMES PER WEEK, FOR 4 WEEKS. STATIC AND DYNAMIC BALANCE WERE ASSESSED IN VOLUNTEERS WITH ONE LEG STANDING AND FUNCTIONAL REACH TESTS. OUTCOME MEASURES WERE TESTED BEFORE TRAINING AND AFTER A SINGLE WEEK OF TRAINING. TWO-WAY REPEATED MEASURE ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE WITH TUKEY'S HONESTLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE POST HOC STATISTICS WAS USED TO ANALYZE THE DATA. [RESULTS] OBESE INDIVIDUALS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED STATIC STANDING BALANCE IN THE YOGA TRAINING GROUP, BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF STATIC OR DYNAMIC STANDING BALANCE IN THE CONTROL GROUP AFTER 4 WEEKS. IN THE YOGA GROUP, SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN STATIC STANDING BALANCE WAS FOUND AFTER THE 2ND, 3RD, AND 4TH WEEKS. COMPARED WITH THE CONTROL GROUP, STATIC STANDING BALANCE IN THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT AFTER THE 2ND WEEK, AND DYNAMIC STANDING BALANCE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT AFTER THE 4TH WEEK. [CONCLUSION] YOGA TRAINING WOULD BE BENEFICIAL FOR IMPROVING STANDING BALANCE IN OBESE INDIVIDUALS WITH POOR STANDING BALANCE. 2015