title: Neurochemical and Neuroanatomical Plasticity Following Memory Training and Yoga Interventions in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.
abstract: Behavioral interventions are becoming increasingly popular approaches to ameliorate age-related cognitive decline, but their underlying neurobiological mechanisms and clinical efficiency have not been fully elucidated. The present study explored brain plasticity associated with two behavioral interventions, memory enhancement training (MET) and a mind-body practice (yogic meditation), in healthy seniors with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) using structural magnetic resonance imaging (s-MRI) and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Senior participants (age ≥55 years) with MCI were randomized to the MET or yogic meditation interventions. For both interventions, participants completed either MET training or Kundalini Yoga (KY) for 60-min sessions over 12 weeks, with 12-min daily homework assignments. Gray matter volume and metabolite concentrations in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and bilateral hippocampus were measured by structural MRI and1H-MRS at baseline and after 12 weeks of training. Metabolites measured included glutamate-glutamine (Glx), choline-containing compounds (Cho, including glycerophosphocholine and phosphocholine), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and N-acetyl aspartate and N-acetylaspartyl-glutamate (NAA-NAAG). In total, 11 participants completed MET and 14 completed yogic meditation for this study. Structural MRI analysis showed an interaction between time and group in dACC, indicating a trend towards increased gray matter volume after the MET intervention.1H-MRS analysis showed an interaction between time and group in choline-containing compounds in bilateral hippocampus, induced by significant decreases after the MET intervention. Though preliminary, our results suggest that memory training induces structural and neurochemical plasticity in seniors with MCI. Further research is needed to determine whether mind-body interventions like yoga yield similar neuroplastic changes.
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Hongyu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Amber M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Leaver
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Prabha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Siddarth
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen UniversityKhon Kaen, Thailand.
authors.forename: Pattharee
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paholpak
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ercoli
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Natalie M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: St Cyr
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)Los Angeles, CA, USA; Discipline of Psychiatry, University of AdelaideAdelaide, SA, Australia; IMPACT SRC, School of Medicine, Deakin UniversityGeelong, VIC, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, University of MelbourneMelbourne, VIC, Australia.
authors.forename: Harris A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Eyre
authors.affiliation: Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Neurology, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Narr
authors.affiliation: Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation Tucson, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Dharma S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Khalsa
authors.affiliation: Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lavretsky
keywords: dorsal anterior cingulate cortex; hippocampus; memory enhancement training; proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy; structural magnetic resonance imaging; yogic meditation