Effects of one month of Common Yoga Protocol practice appear to be mediated by the angiogenic and neurogenic pathway: A pilot study.
Kanupriya Sharma, Viraaj Pannu, Natasha Sayal, Ashish Bhalla, Akshay Anand
Explore 2021 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2020.09.007 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Open label single arm exploratory intervention study Open-label Pilot study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | Healthy individuals aged 18-60 years |
| Intervention | Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) |
| Duration | One month |
| Measures | Fasting Sugar, Lipid profile, Brain derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Angiogenin, Amyloid β |
| Topics | Neuroplasticity |
| Keywords | Angiogenesis Biochemical parameters Homeostasis Wellness |
| Key points | After one month of Common Yoga Protocol practice, HDL and angiogenin increased significantly, while fasting sugar, other lipids, VEGF, BDNF, and amyloid beta were unchanged; the VEGF-to-amyloid beta ratio increased significantly. The authors propose CYP may influence angiogenic and neurogenic crosstalk and could serve as a preventive measure for diseases involving impaired angiogenesis or neurogenesis. |
Abstract
To examine the molecular effects of mindful activities such as yoga and meditation DESIGN: This was an open label single arm exploratory yoga intervention study. 64 healthy individuals within the age of 18-60 years were recruited for this one month yoga intervention study. Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) is a standardized yoga protocol released by Ministry of AYUSH, India for International Yoga Day. It includes all aspects of yoga i.e. asanas, pranayama and meditation. It is designed for adoption by all age groups for the health of community. The participants were assessed for biochemical parameters including Fasting Sugar and Lipid profile. The molecular markers of neurogenesis (i.e. Brain derived Neurotropic Factor, BDNF) and Angiogenesis (i.e. Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, VEGF and Angiogenin) along with Amyloid β (marker related to neuro-degenerative diseases) were assessed. All the assessments were made at baseline and after one month of the intervention. After one month of CYP practice High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) levels increased significantly (p<0.001), although other biochemical parameters i.e. fasting sugar and other lipid assessments were found to be unaltered. Angiogenesis marker, angiogenin was increased significantly (p<0.002), other angiogenesis marker VEGF did not show any change along with BDNF, marker of neurogenesis. Amyloid β levels were also unaltered. Even though individual levels of VEGF and Amyloid β did not show any change, proportion of VEGF to Amyloid β showed a significant increase (p<0.001) after one month of CYP intervention indicating that the change in VEGF levels was significantly higher than the change in Amyloid β levels. CYP practice may influence cell survival pathways mediated by angiogenic and neurogenic cross talk. Hence, CYP can be considered as a preventive measure for diseases associated with impaired angiogenic and neurogenic mechanism. This is the first study to examine the effects of CYP at the molecular level.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on neuroplasticity, most cited first.
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|---|---|---|---|
| Emotions and brain function are altered up to one month after a single high dose of psilocybin. Healthy volunteers (7 female, 5 male) | 2020 | Open-label pilot study | n = 12 |
| Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder. Patients with major depressive disorder | 2021 | Open-label study | n = 24 |
| Biological embedding of early trauma: the role of higher prefrontal synaptic strength Healthy controls and patients with PTSD (male and female) | 2023 | Pilot study | n = 34 |
| Neural correlates of reduction in self-judgment after mindful self-compassion training: A pilot study with resting state fMRI. Adult patients with anxiety or depressive disorders | 2025 | Single arm pilot study | n = 24 |
| Brain-targeted epigenetic effects of two emerging psychoplastogens: ketamine & MDMA Clinical trial participants | 2026 | Clinical trial | n = 36 |
Citations in the library
Cites 3
- Five-week yin yoga-based interventions decreased plasma adrenomedullin and increased psychological health in stressed adults: A randomized controlled trial PLoS One July 18, 2018
- Yoga, Meditation and Mind-Body Health: Increased BDNF, Cortisol Awakening Response, and Altered Inflammatory Marker Expression after a 3-Month Yoga and Meditation Retreat Frontiers in Human Neuroscience June 26, 2017
- An explorative study of metabolic responses to mental stress and yoga practices in yoga practitioners, non-yoga practitioners and individuals with metabolic syndrome. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine November 15, 2014