Cerebral blood flow effects of yoga training: preliminary evaluation of 4 cases.
OBJECTIVE
Experienced practitioners of yoga have been shown to alter brain function, but this case series measured cerebral blood flow before and after a 12-week training program in Iyengar yoga (IY) for naïve subjects.


METHODS
On the first day, each of the 4 subjects listened to the teacher speaking on the history and background of the yoga program while they were injected with 250 MBq of (99m)Tc-bicisate and received a single photon emission computed tomography scan (pre-program baseline). Subjects then had their first IY training and were injected and scanned with 925 MBq bicisate while they did their first meditation (pre-program meditation). Subjects then underwent a 12-week training program in IY and then underwent the same imaging protocol with a postprogram baseline and postprogram meditation scan. Baseline and meditation scans, before and after training, were compared using paired t tests.


RESULTS
There were significant decreases (p < 0.05) between the pre- and postprogram baseline scans in the right amygdala, dorsal medial cortex, and sensorimotor area. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) in the pre- and postprogram percentage change (i.e., activation) in the right dorsal medial frontal lobe, prefrontal cortex, and right sensorimotor cortex.


CONCLUSIONS
These initial findings suggest the brain experiences a "training effect" after 12 weeks of IY training.
Cohen
Debbie L
DL
Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Wintering
Nancy
N
Tolles
Victoria
V
Townsend
Raymond R
RR
Farrar
John T
JT
Galantino
Mary Lou
ML
Newberg
Andrew B
AB
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D019122:Meditation / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D015013:Yoga
D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; C059659:technetium Tc 99m bicisate; D003545:Cysteine