Kundalini Yoga & Healthy Neurological Aging

This randomized-control trial pilot study investigates the potential neuroprotective effects of mindfulness-based interventions in older adults. In this study, the researchers examine the effects of Kundalini yoga on neurotypical brain aging with a focus on volumetric changes in the bilateral hippocampi and posterior cingulate cortex. 14 healthy, meditation-naïve participants (ages 60 to 80) were recruited. Half were randomly assigned to the Kundalini yoga group and half to the psychoeducation group. Overall, three participants withdrew from the study. The yoga intervention lasted for 12 weeks and the psychoeducation intervention lasted for 10 weeks. Structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data were obtained at baseline and 12-week follow-up. The researchers will focus on analyzing structural MRI data, examining gray matter volume within a priori regions of interest (bilateral hippocampi and posterior cingulate cortex). Results from this pilot study are intended to provide effect-size estimates for future studies that would confirm the effects of Kundalini yoga on neurological aging. Researchers predict participation in the Kundalini yoga intervention, compared to the psychoeducation control condition, will result in a greater increase in gray matter volume of the bilateral hippocampi and posterior cingulate cortex from pre- to post-intervention. If the results are positive, this would provide initial neurobiological support for Kundalini yoga as a potential means to mitigate the effects of neurological aging and as a preventive measure for Alzheimer's disease and dementia, which could be assessed in future confirmatory clinical trials.