1 1822 149 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 2 288 50 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 3 161 59 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 4 289 48 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 5 2782 34 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 6 1252 51 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 7 1066 35 EFFECTS OF YOGA ON INFLAMMATION AND EXERCISE CAPACITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE. BACKGROUND: DESPITE RECENT ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGIC AND DEVICE THERAPY, MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY FROM HEART FAILURE (HF) REMAIN HIGH. YOGA COMBINES PHYSICAL AND BREATHING EXERCISES THAT MAY BENEFIT PATIENTS WITH HF. WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT AN 8-WEEK REGIMEN OF YOGA IN ADDITION TO STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY WOULD IMPROVE EXERCISE CAPACITY, INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE (QOL) IN PATIENTS WITH HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: NEW YORK HEART ASSOCIATION CLASS I-III HF PATIENTS WERE RANDOMIZED TO YOGA TREATMENT (YT) OR STANDARD MEDICAL THERAPY (MT). MEASUREMENTS INCLUDED A GRADED EXERCISE TEST (GXT) TO V O(2PEAK) AND THE FOLLOWING SERUM BIOMARKERS: INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6), HIGH-SENSITIVITY C-REACTIVE PROTEIN (HSCRP), AND EXTRACELLULAR SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (EC-SOD). THE MINNESOTA LIVING WITH HEART FAILURE QUESTIONNAIRE (MLHFQ) WAS ADMINISTERED TO ASSESS CHANGES IN QOL. A TOTAL OF 19 PATIENTS WERE ENROLLED AFTER THE INITIAL SCREENING. OF THE 19 PATIENTS, 9 WERE RANDOMIZED TO YT AND 10 TO MT. PATIENTS HAD A MEAN EF OF 25%. GXT TIME AND V O(2PEAK) WERE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED IN THE YT VERSUS MT GROUPS (+18% IN THE YT AND -7.5% IN MT; P = .03 VS. CONTROL AND +17 IN YT AND -7.1 IN MT; P = .02, RESPECTIVELY). THERE WERE STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN SERUM LEVELS OF IL-6 AND HSCRP AND AN INCREASE IN EC-SOD IN THE YT GROUP (ALL P < .005 VS. MT). MLHFQ SCORES IMPROVED BY 25.7% IN THE YT GROUP AND BY 2.9% IN THE MT GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: YOGA IMPROVED EXERCISE TOLERANCE AND POSITIVELY AFFECTED LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY MARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH HF, AND THERE WAS ALSO A TREND TOWARD IMPROVEMENTS IN QOL. 2008 8 875 33 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 9 2441 43 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 10 1215 50 EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY ON HEART RATE VARIABILITY AND PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES AFTER CANCER TREATMENT: A STUDY PROTOCOL. BACKGROUND: FOLLOWING CANCER TREATMENT, ADULTS COMMONLY REPORT WORSENED PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES (PROS) SUCH AS ANXIETY, STRESS, DEPRESSION, PERSISTENT AND UPSETTING COGNITIVE COMPLAINTS, UNRELENTING FATIGUE, AND REDUCED QUALITY OF LIFE. POORER PROS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH DISRUPTED AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM FUNCTIONING AS MEASURED BY HEART RATE VARIABILITY (HRV), BOTH OF WHICH HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY. INTERVENTIONS TO IMPROVE HRV AND PROS AMONG ADULTS FOLLOWING CANCER TREATMENT ARE NEEDED. YOGA THERAPY HOLDS PROMISE AS AN INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE HRV AND PROS. THEREFORE, WE CONDUCTED A SINGLE-SUBJECT EXPLORATORY EXPERIMENTAL STUDY TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY ON HRV AND SPECIFIC PROS (IE, CANCER-RELATED FATIGUE, ANXIETY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, DEPRESSION, STRESS, QUALITY OF LIFE) IN ADULTS TREATED FOR CANCER. TO REDUCE PUBLICATION BIAS, IMPROVE REPRODUCIBILITY, AND SERVE AS A REFERENCE FOR FORTHCOMING REPORTING OF STUDY RESULTS, WE PRESENT THE STUDY PROTOCOL FOR THIS STUDY HEREIN. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS WERE ADULTS WHO COMPLETED CANCER TREATMENT THAT WERE RECRUITED FROM THE OTTAWA INTEGRATIVE CANCER CENTRE. CONSENTING AND ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS RECEIVED ONE 1:1 YOGA THERAPY SESSION (IE, 1 PARTICIPANT, 1 YOGA THERAPIST) AND 6 WEEKLY GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY SESSIONS (IE, 2-3 PARTICIPANTS, 1 YOGA THERAPIST). PARTICIPANTS COMPLETED ASSESSMENTS 7 TIMES: 3 TIMES PRIOR TO THE PROGRAM (IE, -6 WEEKS, -3 WEEKS, IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THE 1:1 YOGA THERAPY SESSION), IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE 1:1 YOGA THERAPY SESSION, PRIOR TO THE FIRST GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY SESSION, AFTER THE LAST GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY SESSION, AND AT A 6-WEEK FOLLOW-UP. HIERARCHICAL LINEAR MODELING WILL BE USED TO TEST THE AVERAGE EFFECTS OF THE YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM ACROSS PARTICIPANTS. DISCUSSION: THIS STUDY WILL EXPLORE SEVERAL NOVEL HYPOTHESES, INCLUDING WHETHER YOGA THERAPY CAN IMPROVE HRV AND/OR SPECIFIC PROS AMONG ADULTS TREATED FOR CANCER ACUTELY (IE, DURING A 1:1 YOGA THERAPY SESSION) AND/OR THROUGH REPEATED EXPOSURE (IE, AFTER COMPLETING 6 WEEKS OF GROUP-BASED YOGA THERAPY). ALTHOUGH THE FINDINGS WILL REQUIRE CONFIRMATION OR REFUTATION IN FUTURE TRIALS, THEY MAY PROVIDE INITIAL EVIDENCE THAT YT MAY BENEFIT ADULTS TREATED FOR CANCER. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN REGISTRY, ISRCTN64763228. REGISTERED ON DECEMBER 12, 2021. THIS TRIAL WAS REGISTERED RETROSPECTIVELY. URL OF TRIAL REGISTRY RECORD: HTTPS://WWW.ISRCTN.COM/ISRCTN64763228. 2022 11 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 12 1231 44 FEASIBILITY AND PILOT EFFICACY TESTING OF INTEGRATED YOGA AND SHIRODHARA (AYURVEDIC OIL-DRIPPING) INTERVENTION ON CLINICAL SYMPTOMS, COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS AND SLEEP QUALITY OF ADULTS WITH ANXIETY DISORDER. BACKGROUND: BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA THERAPY IN ANXIETY DISORDERS (ADS) ARE KNOWN. TRADITIONAL TEXTS DESCRIBE USEFULNESS OF AYURVEDIC OIL-DRIPPING, SHIRODHARA TECHNIQUE, IN RELIEVING ANXIETY. THUS, PRESENT STUDY WAS PLANNED TO ASSESS THE FEASIBILITY AND SYNERGISTIC VALUE OF SHIRODHARA AS AN ADD-ON TO YOGA THERAPY IN ADULTS WITH AD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIRTY ADULTS (MALES = 14, FEMALES = 16) ADMITTED IN A RESIDENTIAL HOLISTIC HEALTH CARE CENTER WITH AN AGE RANGE OF 29.66 +/- 6.63 YEARS AND DIAGNOSIS OF ONE OF THE ADS (GENERALIZED AD, N = 18; SOCIAL PHOBIA, N = 8; AND PANIC AD, N = 4) AS PER MINI-INTERNATIONAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC INTERVIEW (M. I. N. I. ENGLISH VERSION 5.0) BY A PSYCHIATRIST WERE RANDOMLY DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: (1) INTEGRATED YOGA-BASED LIFESTYLE PROGRAM (YT; N = 15) AND (2) YT + AYURVEDA (YA; N = 15). BOTH GROUPS CONTINUED TO RECEIVE CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT AND WERE ON STABLE MEDICATIONS THROUGHOUT THE STUDY PERIOD EXCEPT IN CASES OF EMERGENCY. ASSESSMENTS WERE DONE BY AN INDEPENDENT ASSESSOR AT BASELINE AND AFTER 2 WEEKS OF INTERVENTION FOR CLINICAL SYMPTOMS (HAM-A, STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY INVENTORY, AND BRIEF PSYCHIATRIC RATING SCALE), SLEEP QUALITY (SLEEP RATING QUESTIONNAIRE), AND COGNITION (STROOP TEST AND DIGIT LETTER SUBSTITUTION TEST) USING STANDARD VALIDATED TOOLS. PARAMETRIC TESTS WERE APPLIED USING SPSS 10.0 TO ANALYZE THE DATA. RESULTS: TWELVE SUBJECTS IN YOGA GROUP AND THIRTEEN SUBJECTS IN YA GROUP COMPLETED THE TRIAL. NO SIDE EFFECTS WERE REPORTED IN ANY OF THE GROUPS. WITHIN-GROUP COMPARISONS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CLINICAL SYMPTOMS, COGNITION AND SLEEP QUALITY IN BOTH THE GROUPS. BETWEEN-GROUP COMPARISONS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY BETTER SCORES IN STROOP WORD TASK FOR YA GROUP AS COMPARED TO YT GROUP. FURTHERMORE, THERE WAS A TREND TOWARD BETTER IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP QUALITY FOR YA GROUP. CONCLUSION: ADDING OF SHIRODHARA TECHNIQUE TO YT WAS FEASIBLE AND MAY BE USEFUL IN IMPROVING EXECUTIVE MEMORY AND SLEEP QUALITY IN ADULTS WITH ADS. 2020 13 272 29 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 /= 50% OF ELIGIBLE DYADS CONSENT, >/= 70% OF ENROLLED DYADS COMPLETE ALL ASSESSMENTS, AND >/= 50% OF ALL PRACTICE SESSIONS ARE ATTENDED). WE WILL ALSO PERFORM PRIMARILY DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSES OF THE SELF-REPORTED OUTCOMES (E.G., FATIGUE, OVERALL QOL) AND EXPLORE POTENTIAL INTERVENTION MODERATORS (E.G., PERFORMANCE STATUS) TO INFORM A LARGER FUTURE TRIAL. CONCLUSION: THIS TRIAL WILL PROVIDE IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE FEASIBILITY OF A DYADIC VERSUS A CAREGIVER YOGA INTERVENTION REGARDING SYMPTOM, QOL, AND HEALTH UTILIZATION OUTCOMES IN GLIOMA PATIENTS AND THEIR CAREGIVERS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV NCT02481349. 2019 16 872 34 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 17 2851 41 YOGA, PHYSICAL THERAPY, AND BACK PAIN EDUCATION FOR SLEEP QUALITY IN LOW-INCOME RACIALLY DIVERSE ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: POOR SLEEP IS COMMON AMONG ADULTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN (CLBP), BUT THE INFLUENCE OF CLBP TREATMENTS, SUCH AS YOGA AND PHYSICAL THERAPY (PT), ON SLEEP QUALITY IS UNDER STUDIED. OBJECTIVE: EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOGA AND PT FOR IMPROVING SLEEP QUALITY IN ADULTS WITH CLBP. DESIGN: SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. SETTING: ACADEMIC SAFETY-NET HOSPITAL AND 7 AFFILIATED COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS. PARTICIPANTS: A TOTAL OF 320 ADULTS WITH CLBP. INTERVENTION: TWELVE WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES, 1-ON-1 PT SESSIONS, OR AN EDUCATIONAL BOOK. MAIN MEASURES: SLEEP QUALITY WAS MEASURED USING THE PITTSBURGH SLEEP QUALITY INDEX (PSQI) GLOBAL SCORE (0-21) AT BASELINE, 12 WEEKS, AND 52 WEEKS. ADDITIONALLY, WE ALSO EVALUATED HOW THE PROPORTION OF PARTICIPANTS WHO ACHIEVED A CLINICALLY MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENT IN SLEEP QUALITY (> 3-POINT REDUCTION IN PSQI) AT 12 WEEKS VARIED BY CHANGES IN PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION AT 6 WEEKS. KEY RESULTS: AMONG PARTICIPANTS (MEAN AGE = 46.0, 64% FEMALE, 82% NON-WHITE), NEARLY ALL (92%) REPORTED POOR SLEEP QUALITY (PSQI > 5) AT BASELINE. AT 12 WEEKS, MODEST IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE OBSERVED AMONG THE YOGA (PSQI MEAN DIFFERENCE [MD] = - 1.19, 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL [CI] - 1.82, - 0.55) AND PT (PSQI MD = - 0.91, 95% CI - 1.61, - 0.20) GROUPS. PARTICIPANTS WHO REPORTED A >/= 30% IMPROVEMENT IN PAIN OR PHYSICAL FUNCTION AT 6 WEEKS, COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO IMPROVED < 10%, WERE MORE LIKELY TO BE A SLEEP QUALITY RESPONDER AT 12 WEEKS (ODDS RATIO [OR] = 3.51, 95% CI 1.73, 7.11 AND OR = 2.16, 95% CI 1.18, 3.95, RESPECTIVELY). RESULTS WERE SIMILAR AT 52 WEEKS. CONCLUSION: IN A SAMPLE OF ADULTS WITH CLBP, VIRTUALLY ALL WITH POOR SLEEP QUALITY PRIOR TO INTERVENTION, MODEST BUT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN SLEEP QUALITY WERE OBSERVED WITH BOTH YOGA AND PT. IRRESPECTIVE OF TREATMENT, CLINICALLY IMPORTANT SLEEP IMPROVEMENTS AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION WERE ASSOCIATED WITH MID-INTERVENTION PAIN AND PHYSICAL FUNCTION IMPROVEMENTS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT01343927. 2020 18 2584 37 YOGA FOR HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. BACKGROUND: IMPROVEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY HAVE INCREASED THE CHANCES OF SURVIVAL FOR THE MICRO-PREMATURE INFANT AND THE VERY LOW BIRTH-WEIGHT INFANT BUT HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS. THIS ECONOMIC BURDEN HAS A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON THIRD-PARTY PAYERS AND ON SOCIETY IN GENERAL. AIM: THE STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO ASSESS YOGA THERAPY (YT) MODULE ON MATERNAL STRESS LEVEL IN HIGH RISK PREGNANCY. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: IN THE PRESENT STUDY, SIXTY-EIGHT PREGNANT WOMEN (38 IN THE CONTROL GROUP WITH STANDARD ANTENATAL CARE AND 30 IN THE YT GROUP) WITH 27.2 (5.2) YEARS OF MEAN AGE RECRUITED FROM THE OUTPATIENT SERVICES OF MEDICAL COLLEGE AND HOSPITAL IN BANGALORE, SOUTH INDIA, WERE PARTICIPATED. THE STUDY WAS A SINGLE-BLIND RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL TRIAL. PERCEIVED STRESS SCALE (PSS) WAS MEASURED DURING THE 12(TH), 20(TH), AND 28(TH) WEEKS OF PREGNANCY. SPSS VERSION 16.0 (CHICAGO, IL, USA) WAS USED FOR ALL DATA ANALYSIS. WHEN THE DATA WERE FOUND TO BE NORMALLY DISTRIBUTED, THE RMANOVA WERE USED TO ASSESS THE PSS SCORES BETWEEN THE YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. SIGNIFICANT VALUES WERE SET AT P < 0.05. RESULTS: THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE PSS LEVEL OF THE YT GROUP WITH SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED SCORES AT THE SECOND FOLLOW-UP (28(TH) WEEK OF PREGNANCY) COMPARED TO THE CONTROL GROUP (P = 0.02). WOMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THE YT MODULE REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER PREGNANCY DISCOMFORTS DECREASE IN PSS (P = 0.02) THAN THE CONTROL GROUP WHERE THE STRESS LEVEL WAS INCREASED (RMANOVA TEST USING SPSS-16). CONCLUSION: THE PRESENT STUDY SUGGESTS THAT THE YT MODULE CAN DECREASE THE STRESS LEVEL DURING HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS. THUS, PRACTICING YT DURING HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY IS NOT ONLY A COST-EFFECTIVE OPTION BUT ALSO A FEASIBLE AND SAFE OPTION. ADDITIONAL WELL-DESIGNED STUDIES ARE NEEDED BEFORE A STRONG RECOMMENDATION CAN BE MADE. 2013 19 2785 39 YOGA THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY. OBJECTIVES: THERE HAS BEEN LIMITED STUDY OF THERAPEUTIC YOGA AS A COMPLEMENTARY TREATMENT FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES THE EFFECTS OF A YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM ON SYMPTOMATOLOGY AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA IN A STATE PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY. METHODS: IN A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED PILOT STUDY, 18 CLINICALLY STABLE PATIENTS (12 MEN AND 6 WOMEN) WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA (MEAN AGE=42+/-13.5) WERE RANDOMIZED TO AN 8-WEEK YOGA THERAPY PROGRAM (YT) AND A WAITLIST GROUP (WL). YT INTERVENTION INCLUDED YOGA POSTURES, BREATHING EXERCISES, AND RELAXATION. AT BASELINE AND AT 8 WEEKS, SYMPTOMATOLOGY WAS MEASURED USING THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYNDROME SCALE (PANSS). SECONDARY EFFICACY OUTCOMES WERE MEASURED WITH THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION QUALITY OF LIFE BREF QUESTIONNAIRE (WHOQOL-BREF). RESULTS: THE YT GROUP OBTAINED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SYMPTOMS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA SYMPTOMS COMPARED TO WL, INCLUDING PANSS SCORES ON POSITIVE SYNDROME (T=-2.64, P=0.02), NEGATIVE SYNDROME (T=-3.04, P<0.01), GENERAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (T=-3.74, P<0.00), ACTIVATION (T=-2.29, P<0.04), PARANOIA (T=-2.89, P<0.01), AND DEPRESSION SUBSCALES (T=-2.62, P<0.02). PANSS TOTAL SCORES ALSO DECREASED FOR THE YT GROUP (T=-4.54, P<0.00). YT HAD IMPROVED PERCEIVED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PHYSICAL (T=2.38, P<0.04) AND PSYCHOLOGIC DOMAINS (T=2.88, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: ADULTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA BEING TREATED IN A STATE PSYCHIATRIC FACILITY WHO PARTICIPATED IN AN 8-WEEK THERAPEUTIC YOGA PROGRAM SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS IN PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND QUALITY OF LIFE COMPARED WITH CONTROLS. THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY NEED TO BE CONFIRMED IN LARGER, MORE SUFFICIENTLY POWERED STUDIES WITH ACTIVE CONTROL GROUPS. 2011 20 831 42 EFFECT OF YOGA ON MIGRAINE: A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY USING CLINICAL PROFILE AND CARDIAC AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS. CONTEXT AND AIMS: MIGRAINE IS AN EPISODIC DISABLING HEADACHE REQUIRING LONG-TERM MANAGEMENT. MIGRAINE MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA THERAPY WOULD REDUCE THE MEDICATION COST WITH POSITIVE HEALTH BENEFITS. YOGA HAS SHOWN TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE, REDUCE THE EPISODE OF HEADACHE AND MEDICATION. THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS BY ASSESSING CLINICAL OUTCOME AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTIONS TESTS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: MIGRAINE PATIENTS WERE RANDOMLY GIVEN EITHER CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30) OR YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE (N = 30). YOGA GROUP RECEIVED YOGA PRACTICE SESSION FOR 5 DAYS A WEEK FOR 6 WEEKS ALONG WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE. CLINICAL ASSESSMENT (FREQUENCY, INTENSITY OF HEADACHE AND HEADACHE IMPACT) AND AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TEST WERE DONE AT BASELINE AND AT THE END OF THE INTERVENTION. RESULTS: YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE AND CONVENTION CARE GROUPS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN CLINICAL VARIABLES, BUT IT WAS BETTER WITH YOGA THERAPY. IMPROVEMENT IN THE VAGAL TONE ALONG WITH REDUCED SYMPATHETIC ACTIVITY WAS OBSERVED IN PATIENTS WITH MIGRAINE RECEIVING YOGA AS ADJUVANT THERAPY. CONCLUSIONS: INTERVENTION SHOWED SIGNIFICANT CLINICAL IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH GROUPS. HEADACHE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY WERE REDUCED MORE IN YOGA WITH CONVENTIONAL CARE THAN THE CONVENTIONAL CARE GROUP ALONE. FURTHERMORE, YOGA THERAPY ENHANCED THE VAGAL TONE AND DECREASED THE SYMPATHETIC DRIVE, HENCE IMPROVING THE CARDIAC AUTONOMIC BALANCE. THUS, YOGA THERAPY CAN BE EFFECTIVELY INCORPORATED AS AN ADJUVANT THERAPY IN MIGRAINE PATIENTS. 2014