- Published on
Researchers have known for decades that aerobic exercise delivers significant benefits for overall brain health. Recently, scientists have taken a close look at yoga and brain health saying that the evidence clearly shows that yoga enhances the same brain structures and functions that benefit from aerobic exercise. This review was published in the journal Brain Plasticity. Here are some key ways yoga strengthens the brain.
* Yoga increases hippocampus volume. This area of the brain is involved in memory processing and is known to shrink with age. It's also the structure which is first impacted by dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
* Yoga strengths the amygdala. This brain structure controls emotional regulation and is larger in those who practice yoga compared to those who do not.
* Yoga improves cognitive brain function. Along with stronger, healthier emotional regulation, yoga practitioners improve brain performance on cognitive tests as well as learning and memory.
University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Neha Gothe, one of the lead researchers on this study, concludes that "yoga is not aerobic in nature, so there must be some other mechanisms leading to these brain changes."
Dr. Gothe believes that yoga's ability to enhance emotional regulation is a key to yoga's positive effects on the brain. She notes that various studies link stress in both humans and animals to shrinkage of the hippocampus and poor performance memory tests. "The practice of yoga helps improve emotional regulation to reduce stress, anxiety and depression and that seems to improve brain functioning," Dr. Gothe adds.
* Yoga increases hippocampus volume. This area of the brain is involved in memory processing and is known to shrink with age. It's also the structure which is first impacted by dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
* Yoga strengths the amygdala. This brain structure controls emotional regulation and is larger in those who practice yoga compared to those who do not.
* Yoga improves cognitive brain function. Along with stronger, healthier emotional regulation, yoga practitioners improve brain performance on cognitive tests as well as learning and memory.
University of Illinois kinesiology and community health professor Neha Gothe, one of the lead researchers on this study, concludes that "yoga is not aerobic in nature, so there must be some other mechanisms leading to these brain changes."
Dr. Gothe believes that yoga's ability to enhance emotional regulation is a key to yoga's positive effects on the brain. She notes that various studies link stress in both humans and animals to shrinkage of the hippocampus and poor performance memory tests. "The practice of yoga helps improve emotional regulation to reduce stress, anxiety and depression and that seems to improve brain functioning," Dr. Gothe adds.
0 Comments