Scientists have known for decades that aerobic exercise strengthens the brain and contributes to the growth of new neurons, but few studies have examined how yoga affects the brain.
In a new review study, researchers found evidence that yoga enhances many of the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Illinois and elsewhere.
The review focused on 11 studies on the link between yoga practice and brain health.
Five of the studies engaged individuals with no background in yoga practice in one or more yoga sessions per week over a period of 10-24 weeks, comparing brain health at the beginning and end of the intervention.
The other studies measured brain differences between individuals who regularly practice yoga and those who don’t.
Each of the studies used brain-imaging techniques such as MRI, functional MRI or single-photon emission computerized tomography.
All involved Hatha yoga, which includes body movements, meditation and breathing exercises.
The team found some brain regions that consistently come up. For example, they saw increases in the volume of the hippocampus with yoga practice
Many studies looking at the brain effects of aerobic exercise have shown a similar increase in hippocampus size over time.
The hippocampus is involved in memory processing and is known to shrink with age. It is also the structure that is first affected by dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Though many of the studies are exploratory and not conclusive, the research points to other important brain changes linked to regular yoga practice.
The amygdala, a brain structure that contributes to emotional regulation, tends to be larger in yoga practitioners than in their peers who do not practice yoga.
The prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and brain networks such as the default mode network also tend to be larger or more efficient in those who regularly practice yoga.
The prefrontal cortex, a brain region just behind the forehead, is essential to planning, decision-making, multitasking, thinking about your options and picking the right option.
The default mode network is a set of brain regions involved in thinking about the self, planning, and memory.
Like the amygdala, the cingulate cortex is part of the limbic system, a circuit of structures that plays a key role in emotional regulation, learning, and memory.
The studies also find that the brain changes seen in individuals practicing yoga are associated with better performance on cognitive tests or measures of emotional regulation.
The discovery that yoga may have similar effects on the brain to aerobic exercise is intriguing and warrants more study.
The researchers say there is a need for more—and more rigorous—research into yoga’s effects on the brain.
The science is pointing to yoga being beneficial for healthy brain function, but scientists need more rigorous and well-controlled intervention studies to confirm these initial findings
One author of the study is kinesiology and community health professor Neha Gothe.
The study is published in the journal Brain Plasticity.
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