Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Psychiatry Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

NYMC Faculty Publications

HRV

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Psychiatry

Effects Of Yoga On Thalamic Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Mood And Depression: Analysis Of Two Randomized Controlled Trials, Chris C. Streeter, Patricia L. Gerbarg, Greylin H. Nielsen, Richard P. Brown, J Eric Jensen, Marisa M. Silveri Jan 2018

Effects Of Yoga On Thalamic Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Mood And Depression: Analysis Of Two Randomized Controlled Trials, Chris C. Streeter, Patricia L. Gerbarg, Greylin H. Nielsen, Richard P. Brown, J Eric Jensen, Marisa M. Silveri

NYMC Faculty Publications

Objective: The Vagal-Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) theory proposes that some yoga postures and breathing practices exert their effects through stimulation of vagal nerves (parasympathetic system) with associated brain GABA increases. To evaluate this theory, we compared results from a 12-week randomized controlled trial (RCT) of yoga in participants with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with those of a similar RCT in healthy control participants (HC).

Methods: In an RCT, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and mood measures were acquired in subjects with MDD (n=15) prior to and following a 12-week yoga intervention. The same measures were obtained in the HC (n=17) group. In …