Yoga Helps Reduce Symptoms of Depression

Yoga increases the levels of Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in short-term. However, practicing yoga for one whole week increases the levels of GABA that could help in decreasing the symptoms of depression.

Highlights:

Yoga increases Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) levels, which helps in treating depressive symptoms
GABA is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system

Yoga improves a person’s spiritual, mental and physical well-being. A new study suggests that practicing yoga everyday can help reduce the symptoms of depression.//

Now a new study from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) proposes that yoga can increase levels of Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in the short-term and completing one yoga class per week may maintain elevated GABA that could mitigate depressive symptoms.

Yoga for Stress
Tap into the powers of mind–body therapy called yoga and find out how you can use yoga for effective stress management.

‘Yoga increases the levels of Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in short-term. However, practicing yoga for one whole week increases the levels of GABA that could help in decreasing the symptoms of depression.’

Depression is a highly prevalent and disabling disease. According to the World Health Organization, depression affects approximately 16 million people in the U.S. every year and is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Given its high morbidity, extensive research has been done on effective treatment modalities for depression.

GABA is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and has been associated with decreased depressive symptoms.

A group of 30 clinically depressed patients were randomly divided into two groups. Both groups engaged in lyengar yoga and coherent breathing with the only difference being the number of 90 minute yoga session and home sessions in which each group participated.

Six Yoga Poses for Emotional Release
Know about the 6 yoga poses that are useful for releasing difficult emotions through back bends, spine twists, hip openers and other poses that help to reduce stress.

Over three months, the high-dose group (HDG) was assigned three sessions per week while the low-intensity group (LIG) was assigned two sessions per week.

Participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of their brain before the first yoga session and after the last yoga session. They also completed a clinical depression scale to monitor their symptoms.

Top Yoga Asanas to Relieve You from Heartburn
Yoga is a form of exercise and way of living that can not only prevent but also treat numerous conditions like heartburn effectively and safely.

Results showed that both groups had improvement in depressive symptoms after three months. MRI analysis found that GABA levels after three months of yoga were elevated (as compared to prior to starting yoga) for approximately four days after the last yoga session but the increase was no longer observed after approximately eight days.

"The study suggests that the associated increase in GABA levels after a yoga session are ’time-limited’ similar to that of pharmacologic treatments such that completing one session of yoga per week may maintain elevated levels of GABA," explained corresponding author Chris Streeter, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at BUSM.

Raga Therapy for Healing Mind and Body - Working - Healing Ragas - Types
What is the idea behind music as a healing therapy? The position of Indian classical music in this genre of healing, though proven through the ages, has not been written about as much as it ought to.

According to the researchers, providing evidence-based data will be helpful in getting more individuals to try yoga as a strategy for improving their health and well-being.

"A unique strength of this study is that pairing the yoga intervention with brain imaging provides important neurobiological insight as to the ’how’ yoga may help to alleviate depression and anxiety. In this study, we found that an important neurochemical, GABA, which is related to mood, anxiety and sleep, is significantly increased in association with a yoga intervention," said collaborator and co-author Marisa Silveri, PhD, neuroscientist at McLean Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Source-Eurekalert