A Yoga Program for Cognitive Enhancement
| dc.contributor.author | Brunner, Devon | |
| dc.contributor.author | Abramovitch, Amitai | |
| dc.contributor.author | Etherton, Joseph L. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-10-17T17:19:11Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-10-17T17:19:11Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017-08 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Background: Recent studies suggest that yoga practice may improve cognitive functioning. Although preliminary data indicate that yoga improves working memory (WM), high-resolution information about the type of WM subconstructs, namely maintenance and manipulation, is not available. Furthermore, the association between cognitive enhancement and improved mindfulness as a result of yoga practice requires empirical examination. The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of a brief yoga program on WM maintenance, WM manipulation and attentive mindfulness. Methods: Measures of WM (Digit Span Forward, Backward, and Sequencing, and Letter-Number Sequencing) were administered prior to and following 6 sessions of yoga (N = 43). Additionally, the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale was administered to examine the potential impact of yoga practice on mindfulness, as well as the relationships among changes in WM and mindfulness. Results: Analyses revealed significant improvement from pre- to post- training assessment on both maintenance WM (Digit Span Forward) and manipulation WM (Digit Span Backward and Letter-Number Sequencing). No change was found on Digit Span Sequencing. Improvement was also found on mindfulness scores. However, no correlation was observed between mindfulness and WM measures. Conclusions: A 6-session yoga program was associated with improvement on manipulation and maintenance WM measures as well as enhanced mindfulness scores. Additional research is needed to understand the extent of yoga-related cognitive enhancement and mechanisms by which yoga may enhance cognition, ideally by utilizing randomized controlled trials and more comprehensive neuropsychological batteries. | |
| dc.description.department | Psychology | |
| dc.format | Text | |
| dc.format.extent | 12 pages | |
| dc.format.medium | 1 file (.pdf) | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Brunner, D., Abramovitch, A., Etherton, J. (2017) A yoga program for cognitive enhancement. PLoS ONE, 12(8) : e0182366. | |
| dc.identifier.doi | https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0182366 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1932-6203 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10877/8678 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Public Library of Science | |
| dc.rights.holder | © 2017 Brunner et al. | |
| dc.rights.license | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. | |
| dc.source | PLoS ONE, 2017, Vol. 12, No. 8, Article e0182366 | |
| dc.subject | cognitive functioning | |
| dc.subject | working memory | |
| dc.subject | yoga | |
| dc.subject | Psychology | |
| dc.title | A Yoga Program for Cognitive Enhancement | |
| dc.type | Article |