Effects of 8 weeks of modified hatha yoga training on resting-state brain activity and the p300 ERP in patients with physical disability-related stress.
Amornpan Ajjimaporn, Sunisa Rachiwong, Vorasith Siripornpanich
PMID 30214123WHAT IT FOUND
Modified hatha yoga (poses, breathing, meditation) added to routine rehabilitation did not differ from control in brain activity or brain response to sound.
The yoga group alone showed larger alpha and delta waves, faster reaction time and faster brain response to sound.
Key findings
01The control and yoga groups did not differ in resting brain wave power or in P300 components.
02Within the yoga group, alpha power increased at frontal, central and parietal midline sites and delta power increased at the centroparietal site after 8 weeks; theta and beta did not change.
03Within the yoga group, reaction time to target sounds decreased from 383 ± 26 ms to 356 ± 23 ms, and P300 latency at Cz decreased from 400 ± 16 ms to 380 ± 17 ms.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 18 participants were studied, 9 in each group. Groups were formed by purposive sampling, not random allocation, so baseline differences may have affected the results. No between-group differences were found for brain wave power or P300 components, so within-group changes in the yoga group are not strong evidence that yoga caused them. Both groups continued ordinary rehabilitation, so the separate contribution of modified hatha yoga cannot be isolated. The yoga program included poses, breathing and meditation, so the study cannot say which component, if any, produced changes. The outcomes were EEG and auditory task measures; the paper does not report whether stress, function or daily participation improved. Different injury types were included, and the authors note this could affect responses to training. Dropouts and handling of missing data are not reported.
Declared interests
The research did not receive specific grant funding, and the authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that modified hatha yoga improves brain activity or attention in injured patients. The yoga and control groups did not differ in brain wave power or P300 components, the sample was very small and groups were formed by purposive sampling rather than random allocation, and both groups continued routine rehabilitation, so yoga's separate effect cannot be isolated.