Yoga Prevents Gray Matter Atrophy in Women at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Female sex, subjective cognitive decline (SCD), and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) are known risk factors for developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We previously demonstrated that yoga improved depression, resilience, memory and executive functions, increased hippocampal choline concentrations, and modulated brain connectivity in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Objective: In this study (NCT03503669), we investigated brain gray matter volume (GMV) changes in older women with SCD and CVRFs following three months of yoga compared to memory enhancement training (MET). Methods: Eleven women (mean age = 61.45, SD = 6.58) with CVRF and SCD completed twelve weeks of Kundalini Yoga and Kirtan Kriya (KY + KK) while eleven women (mean age = 64.55, SD = 6.41) underwent MET. Anxiety, resilience, stress, and depression were assessed at baseline and 12 weeks, as were T1-weighted MRI scans (Siemens 3T Prisma scanner). We used Freesurfer 6.0 and tested group differences in GMV change, applying Monte-Carlo simulations with alpha = 0.05. Region-of-interest analysis was performed for hippocampus and amygdala. Results: Compared to KY + KK, MET showed reductions in GMV in left prefrontal, pre- and post-central, supramarginal, superior temporal and pericalcarine cortices, right paracentral, postcentral, superior and inferior parietal cortices, the banks of the superior temporal sulcus, and the pars opercularis. Right hippocampal volume increased after yoga but did not survive corrections. Conclusion: Yoga training may offer neuroprotective effects compared to MET in preventing neurodegenerative changes and cognitive decline, even over short time intervals. Future analyses will address changes in functional connectivity in both groups.

Overall and sex-specific risk factors for subjective cognitive decline: findings from the 2015–2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey

“…Sex differences for AD and dementia have been found for depression, sleep apnea, low education, marital status, and reproductive events unique to each sex (such as pregnancy and menopause for women and androgen-deprivation therapy for men) [ 23 , 35 ]. Additionally, emerging research is indicating the importance of mid-life physical activity in reducing dementia risk [ 8 ], and sex differences in activity patterns and cognition [ 36 , 37 ]. Clearly, despite our finding of no appreciable differences in contributing factors for SCD between men and women, more research is warranted assessing other risk factors that could not be assessed in this analysis.…”

Effects of mindfulness‐based interventions on neuropsychiatric symptoms and psychological well‐being on people with subjective cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment: A meta‐analysis

“…The reviewed studies focused on older adults with either MCI (n = 11) or SCD (n = 7), 36,37,43,46,48,50,51 -5 of 19 Among the included studies, 17 were delivered in person as group sessions, with one study 46 using one-on-one format. The intervention varied in duration from 30 min to 2.5 h, with most sessions held once a week for 6 weeks to 3 months.…”

“…Three studies 47,49,53 employed mindfulness awareness program adapted for older adults, 54 which involves attention training, body scan, walking meditation, movement nature practice, and visuomotor limb tasks. Five studies 39,45,46,51,55 used a combination of Kundalini Yoga and Kirtan Kriya mindfulness meditation, which includes a standardized 12-week, 30-60 min session on yoga, mindfulness meditation, chanting, and breathing techniques, supplemented by a 12-min audio recording for daily selfpractice.…”

“…The comparators used in the studies varied, with 16 studies adopting active control for comparison, including cognitive/memory enhancement training, 36,39,45,46,51,55 transcranial direct current stimulation, 37 and health education program. 38,40,42,43,[47][48][49][50]53 The other two studies provided usual care, 36 and employed waitlist control, 44 respectively.…”

Yoga Impacts Cognitive Health: Neurophysiological Changes and Stress-regulation Mechanisms

“…Years of practice were also positively correlated with GMV in left hemisphere orbitofrontal cortex and mid-insula, suggested by authors to reflect improved emotional and autonomic regulation (33), aligning with effects of yoga on stress (18) and emotional regulation (27). More recent findings suggest that yoga may provide neuroprotective benefits even after only 12 wks of intervention (40). In this study, women with subjective cognitive decline and risk factors for AD participating in a Kundalini yoga plus Kirtan Kriya yoga intervention did not demonstrate reductions in GMV as demonstrated by a memory enhancement training control group, aligning with the cross-sectional findings described earlier.…”