The impacts of yoga and exercise on neuro-cognitive function and symptoms in early psychosis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Both physical exercise and Yoga have been shown significant benefits in symptoms and cognitions in some mental disorders. The present study compared the effectiveness of a 12-week yoga therapy and physical exercise on neuro-cognitive function in female psychosis patients, aimed to develop a complementary treatment to improve cognitive function in patients with psychosis. METHODS: A total of 60 female psychosis patients were recruited, and randomized into three groups: a) 1 12-week yoga therapy group (n = 20), b) a 12-week physical exercise group (n = 20), and c) a waitlisted group which acted as the control group (n = 20) for 12 weeks. All participants were assessed in structural and functional brain (sMRI and fMRI), clinical symptom, neurocognition, physical fitness and quality of life both at baseline and after 12 weeks intervention. RESULTS: Out preliminary data showed significant improvements in the general health (P = .001), physical functioning (P = .001), energy (P = .034) and emotional well-being (P = .036) with the measure of SF-36 in normal female subjects after a basic level of Hatha Yoga course, each session lasted for 60 minutes, twice weekly for 6 weeks. The preliminary finding indicated that yoga therapy have a positive effect both physically and psychologically. CONCLUSION: The study results would not only facilitate our understanding of the relative effectiveness of yoga and physical exercise, but may also shed light on the future development of adjunct non-pharmacological therapy in improving neuro-cognitive functions in patients with psychosis.