Long-term Ashtanga yoga practice decreases medial temporal and brainstem glucose metabolism in relation to years of experience
EJNMMI Research May 14, 2020 June van Aalst, Jenny Ceccarini, Georg Schramm et al. 13 citations
Experienced yoga practitioners show long-term decreases in glucose metabolism in the medial temporal cortex, striatum, and brainstem compared to yoga-naive controls, with greater decreases linked to more years of regular practice. A single yoga practice increased metabolism in the cerebellum. No differences were found in brain structure or resting-state connectivity. The findings suggest that regular yoga practice may induce lasting metabolic changes in brain regions involved in memory, emotion, and motor control, but a prospective study is needed to confirm causality.