Yoga Impacts Cognitive Health: Neurophysiological Changes and Stress Regulation Mechanisms.
Stephanie Voss, Jonathan Cerna, Neha P Gothe
Exercise and sport sciences reviews April 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1249/jes.0000000000000311 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractThis review examines evidence for mechanisms linking yoga practice to cognitive health in healthy older adults. The authors propose that yoga's cognitive benefits may arise from improved stress regulation and enhanced neurocognitive resource efficiency, which together facilitate bidirectional brain-body communication. The text indicates preliminary efficacy of yoga in improving cognitive health but does not present specific study results or effect sizes. The review focuses on explaining the yoga-cognition relationship through these proposed mechanisms, rather than reporting new empirical findings.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Healthy older adults |
| Intervention | Yoga |
| Key finding | Proposes that yoga's cognitive benefits may result from improved stress regulation and neurocognitive resource efficiency that facilitate bidirectional brain-body communication. |
Abstract
Yoga, a physical and contemplative practice, offers the practitioner a unique mind-body exercise experience demonstrating preliminary efficacy in improving cognitive health. We examine the evidence for underlying mechanisms that explain the yoga-cognition relationship in healthy older adults. The cognitive benefits of yoga may be the result of improved stress regulation and neurocognitive resource efficiency that facilitate bidirectional brain-body communication.