Kundalini Yoga May Benefit Older Women With Alzheimer's Risk Factors

Kundalini yoga which focuses on breathing and mental imagery improves brain health and could help combat Alzheimer's in older women.

Highlights:

Kundalini yoga may improve memory and reduce Alzheimer's risk by increasing connectivity in brain areas associated with memory decline
The study showed that Kundalini yoga was more beneficial than memory enhancement training in improving hippocampal connectivity, crucial for memory processing
Further large-scale studies are required to validate these results and to clarify the beneficial effects of both yoga and MET on Alzheimer's disease

Kundalini yoga, a type of yoga that focuses on breathing, meditation, and mental imagery, appeared beneficial for older women who had risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and were concerned about bouts of memory deterioration, according to a UCLA Health study ().

Using a type of MRI that measures activity in regions and subregions of the brain, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior researchers discovered that Kundalini yoga, which combines movement and meditation and focuses on breathing, mantra recitation, and mental visualization, increased connectivity in an area of the brain that can be impacted by stress and is associated with memory decline. The findings were published early online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

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‘New #UCLA study reveals #KundaliniYoga can help improve brain health and fight Alzheimer's disease. This form of yoga, focusing on breathing and mental engagement, maybe a game-changer for older adults suffering from memory loss. #Alzheimers #BrainHealth’

Alzheimer's Risk Management: Yoga vs. Memory Enhancement Training

UCLA researchers, led by psychiatrist Dr. Helen Lavretsky, investigated the effects of yoga on connections in subregions of the hippocampus, a vital area of the brain for learning and memory, in comparison to the gold-standard approach of memory enhancement training (MET). MET is derived from techniques that boost memory through verbal and visual association as well as practical strategies.

"The key takeaway is that this study adds to the literature supporting the benefits of yoga for brain health, especially for women who have greater perceived stress and subjective memory impairment," she said. "This gentle form of yoga, which focuses more on breathing and mental engagement than on movement, like other forms of yoga, is ideal for older adults who may have some physical limitations."

The study involved 22 people who were part of a larger randomized controlled experiment looking into the benefits of yoga on Alzheimer's risk. The mean age of the 11 yoga participants was 61, while it was around 65 in the MET group. All had a self-reported loss in memory function during the previous year, as well as one or more cardiovascular risk factors, which can raise the risk of Alzheimer's disease. These conditions included artery plaque buildup, a recent heart attack, diabetes, and medication for high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

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For 12 weeks, both the yoga and MET groups received a 60-minute in-person training session each week. Daily homework or practice sessions were also part of the curriculum. The Kundalini yoga (KY) program was supplemented by the at-home practice of Kirtan Kriya (KK), a brief meditative form of yoga. According to prior research, these styles of yoga engage a range of senses at the same time and include chanting, which may improve respiratory, cardiovascular, and autonomic nervous system functions.

Impact Yoga and Memory Enhancement Training on Hippocampal Connectivity and Alzheimer's Risk

Lavretsky and her colleagues previously showed that Kundalini and Kirtan Kriya yoga improved depression, resilience, and executive functioning in older people with mild cognitive impairment. They also discovered that yoga had a stronger neuroprotective effect on right hippocampus volume than MET in older women with subjective memory deterioration and cardiovascular risk factors.

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The current study employed specialized functional MRI to establish hippocampus resting-state connections. This imaging, which is thought to be more sensitive to cognitive alterations than hippocampal volumes, allowed the researchers to compare the effects of yoga vs memory training on subregions of the hippocampus.

Based on their findings, the yoga "training may better target hippocampal subregion connectivity impacted by stress, which may aid in processing information, including facial information, into memory," the authors said. Additionally, "the observed greater increased connectivity between anterior and posterior hippocampal subregions with KY+KK training than with MET may suggest superior long-term neuroprotective benefits in terms of vulnerable hippocampal connections critical to episodic memory with KY+KK training."

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The hippocampus must integrate information from many senses, and MET appears to be more effective than yoga in this regard. "The various mnemonic strategies used in MET, such as verbal, visual, and spatial associative techniques, aim to improve multimodal sensory integration into memory processes." According to the study, "MET may outperform KY+KK in terms of hippocampal sensory-integration important to memory," which could provide higher memory reliability.

While the small study suggests that these types of yoga may be especially beneficial to women who report stress and have additional risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, the authors state that future, large-scale studies with a placebo group or control arm will be required to clarify the beneficial effects of both yoga and MET on hippocampal connectivity and Alzheimer's disease.

Reference:

Impact of Yoga Versus Memory Enhancement Training on Hippocampal Connectivity in Older Women at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease - (https:pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37482992/)

Source-Medindia