A yoga program for cognitive enhancement.
Devon Brunner, Amitai Abramovitch, Joseph Etherton
PLoS One August 4, 2017 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182366 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-post intervention study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 43 |
| Population | Adults participating in a brief yoga program |
| Intervention | Yoga |
| Duration | 6 sessions |
| Measures | Digit Span Forward, Digit Span Backward, Digit Span Sequencing, Letter-Number Sequencing, Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Yoga Cognition Memory, short-term Attention Adolescent Middle aged Female Young adult Self report |
| Key points | Six yoga sessions were associated with improvements in working memory maintenance and manipulation and in mindfulness scores, but no change on Digit Span Sequencing. Mindfulness gains did not correlate with working memory gains, suggesting the cognitive effects may not be explained by increased mindfulness. |
Abstract
Background: Recent studies suggest that yoga practice may improve cognitive functioning. Although preliminary data indicate that yoga improves working memory (WM), high-resolution information about the type of WM subconstructs, namely maintenance and manipulation, is not available. Furthermore, the association between cognitive enhancement and improved mindfulness as a result of yoga practice requires empirical examination. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of a brief yoga program on WM maintenance, WM manipulation and attentive mindfulness.
Methods: Measures of WM (Digit Span Forward, Backward, and Sequencing, and Letter-Number Sequencing) were administered prior to and following 6 sessions of yoga (N = 43). Additionally, the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale was administered to examine the potential impact of yoga practice on mindfulness, as well as the relationships among changes in WM and mindfulness.
Results: Analyses revealed significant improvement from pre- to post- training assessment on both maintenance WM (Digit Span Forward) and manipulation WM (Digit Span Backward and Letter-Number Sequencing). No change was found on Digit Span Sequencing. Improvement was also found on mindfulness scores. However, no correlation was observed between mindfulness and WM measures.
Conclusions: A 6-session yoga program was associated with improvement on manipulation and maintenance WM measures as well as enhanced mindfulness scores. Additional research is needed to understand the extent of yoga-related cognitive enhancement and mechanisms by which yoga may enhance cognition, ideally by utilizing randomized controlled trials and more comprehensive neuropsychological batteries.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Relation to Quality of Life, Mood, Symptoms of Stress, and Immune Parameters in Breast and Prostate Cancer Outpatients Early-stage breast and prostate cancer patients | 2003 | Pre-post intervention study | n = 59 |
| Exploring self‐compassion and empathy in the context of mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) Community sample | 2010 | Pre-post intervention study | |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Lowers Psychological Distress In Medical Students Second-year medical students | 2003 | Prospective nonrandomized cohort-controlled study | n = 302 |
| Intensive meditation training, immune cell telomerase activity, and psychological mediators. Retreat participants and matched controls | 2011 | Controlled trial with wait-list control group | n = 60 |
| The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Children aged 8-12 with ADHD and their parents | 2011 | Within-group waitlist controlled trial | n = 22 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Developing Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Yoga and Mindfulness for the Well-Being of Student Musicians in Spain Frontiers in Psychology April 21, 2021
- A Feasibility Study of a Program Integrating Mindfulness, Yoga, Positive Psychology, and Emotional Intelligence in Tertiary-Level Student Musicians Mindfulness September 29, 2022
- Self-Esteem Mediates the Effect of Yoga-Induced Mindfulness on Adolescents’ Emotional and Behavioral Problems and Pro-Social Behavior Youth & Society January 18, 2025
- The rising use of cognitive enhancement drugs and predictors of use during COVID-19: findings from a cross-sectional survey of students and university staff in the UK. Frontiers in Psychology 2024
- Review of Statistical Analysis and Effects of Meditation on Mental Health and Cognitive Skill Development Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development June 26, 2020
and 1 more in the library
Cites 13
- The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2003
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Sudarshan Kriya Yogic Breathing in the Treatment of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Part II—Clinical Applications and Guidelines The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine August 1, 2005
- Workload regulation by Sudarshan Kriya: an EEG and ECG perspective. Brain Informatics March 2017
- Increased Grey Matter Associated with Long-Term Sahaja Yoga Meditation: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study. PLoS One March 3, 2016
and 8 more in the library