Yoga and Cognition: Evidence from acute and intervention studies Neha P. Gothe, MA, MS, PhD Wayne State University, Detroit - MI

Exercise and Cognitive Performance Relationship is a highly topical area of scientific inquiry Majority of this work examines the effects of chronic exercise participation on cognition – long term effects or intervention effects Increasing interest in the potential transient effects of acute bouts of exercise – short single bout of exercise Regular participation in physical activity has a variety of mental health benefits Overall effect size of 0.25 - exercise has a small positive effect on cognition (Etnier et al. 1997) Fitness training has robust but selective benefits for cognition - largest fitness-induced benefits for executive control processes (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003)

Limitations of PA-Cognition literature Major focus – aerobic modes of activity Greatest benefit of aerobic exercise on cognition occurred when paired with resistance training (Colcombe & Kramer, 2003; Smith et al. 2010) Plausible biological mechanisms whereby resistance training might ameliorate cognitive function independently of aerobic exercise Little is known about the PA based complementary and alternative therapies such as yoga = combination of resistance exercise + breathing + meditation

Yoga and Cognition Studies Acute Effects of Yoga Oken RCTs 6 months, only 1 weekly session of 90 minutes Also had a walking group – showed no effect on cognitive outcomes eithers. Participants were active to begin with (older adult study) In the MS study, no cognitive changes – maybe indicative of maintenance – which is good for MS like disease

Yoga postures, breathing, meditative exercises Acute Yoga Effects Research Question Is task performance on the cognitive measures enhanced by acute (short single bout) of both yoga and aerobic exercise sessions? Female college students (n=30, Mage=20.07) 3 visits counterbalanced, at least a day apart Baseline Cognitive Tests 85% submax fitness test Aerobic 20 minutes 60-70%max on treadmill Yoga Yoga postures, breathing, meditative exercises Before embarking on the dissertation project, wanted to test the efficacy of yoga in improving cognition, looking for a trend Gothe, N., Pontifex, M.B., Hillman, C.H. & McAuley, E. (2013). The effect of acute yoga on executive function. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. PMID: 22820158

Acute Yoga Study: Cognitive Tests Flanker Task (inhibitory control) N back – 0, 1 and 2 back (working memory)

Results Flanker Task N-back Task Higher AC Faster RT Higher AC No differences on the congruent trials Yoga accuracy was significantly better than aerobic and baseline Nback: Faster RT after yoga for 1-back, 2-back Higher accuracy after yoga for all 3 n-back conditions If a single 20 minute bout of yoga works, will long term yoga practice improve cognition?

Yoga and Cognition Studies Intervention Effects of Yoga Oken RCTs 6 months, only 1 weekly session of 90 minutes Also had a walking group – showed no effect on cognitive outcomes eithers. Participants were active to begin with (older adult study) In the MS study, no cognitive changes – maybe indicative of maintenance – which is good for MS like disease

Research Question Does an 8 week yoga intervention improve cognitive performance when compared to a stretching control group? We investigated the effects on cognition (executive functions, attention and processing speed) in sample of healthy sedentary older adults

Stretching And Yoga Exercise Study Sedentary community dwelling older adults Ages 55 – 80 N=118, Mean age = 62.05 8-week randomized controlled trial Yoga intervention Stretching control Structured group exercise sessions 3x/wk, ~60min/session Primary Outcomes: Cognition and Functional Fitness

Participants N=118 Sedentary older adults 55-79 years old Mean age 62.05 (±5.6) Females 78% Married 62% College graduate ≥ 66% Income 40,000 ≥75.8% Working full time 54% Hispanic/Latino 3.39% Caucasian 81.35% African American 10.16% Asian 3.4% American Indian or Alaskan Native 1.7% More than one race 3.4%

Yoga Intervention Group n=61, Meanattendance 80.82% Yoga postures, breathing and meditative exercises Equipment: yoga mats, yoga blocks, yoga belts, blankets

Stretching Control Group n=57, Meanattendance 81.29% Stretching and strengthening exercises for all muscle groups Equipment: resistance bands, balance disks, mats, chairs Met CDC anaerobic guidelines

Measures Task Switching Running Span N-back Reaction time Accuracy Recall scores N-back 1-back 2-back 7 2 T N N P B P Y P H M

Task Switching Blue background: If number is less than 5 say low, if greater than 5 say high 2

6

1

3

8

Task Switching Yellow background: Say odd or even 2

6

1

3

When blue: decide high or low When yellow: decide odd or even Task Switching When blue: decide high or low When yellow: decide odd or even

2

7

2

8

6

3

1

7

9

4

Did yoga improve cognition? Results: Yoga intervention group significantly improved performance on the executive function measures of working memory capacity and efficiency of mental set shifting and flexibility Gothe, N. P., Kramer, A. F., & McAuley, E. (2014). The effects of an 8-week Hatha yoga intervention on executive function in older adults. The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, 69(9), 1109-1116.

Hypothesized Mechanisms? Yoga Structural/ Physiological Spiritual Psychosocial Enhanced functioning Structural + Physiological - Musculoskeletal functioning ..Cardiopulmonary status .. ANS response .. Endocrine control system Spiritual . Compassionate, Mindfulness, Psychosocial • Self-efficacy Positive Mood Coping Social support Enhanced Functioning Energy & sleep Quality of Life Strength & fitness Reduced pain, stress & disability

Conclusions “Mind-body” therapies may have unique mechanisms and cognitive benefits over traditional exercise Yoga-cognition research is in nascent stages, need to thoroughly examine health benefits from a biopsychosocial perspective Need for studies to test yoga with established, scientifically proven therapies of exercise

“I felt a connection – love and warmth toward the group “I felt a connection – love and warmth toward the group. That was very interesting and unexpected” Breathe !