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PSYCHIATRY
( Cahn and Polich, 2006; Jevning et al., 1992; Rai et al., 1988; Young and Taylor, 2001).
Neurophysiological effects during Meditation
EEG WAVES EFFECTS
• Asada et al., 1999; Deiber et al., 2007; Gevins and Smith, 2000; Rachbauer et al., 2003; Sauseng et
al., 2007).
Neurophysiological effects during Meditation
EEG WAVES EFFECTS
Increased activation in alpha sustained attention to internal events
Osaka, 1984; Gevins et al., 1997; McEvoy et al.,
power range 2000)
http. hms.harvard.edu/news/harvard-yoga-scientists-find-proof-meditation-benefit
NEUROIMAGING
Study of Lou et al. (1999) using positron emission tomography (PET),
reported an increase in left prefrontal and limbic brain regions during the
abstract sense of joy compared to rest in nine practitioners of Yoga Nidra
Meditation.
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NEUROIMAGING
21
These findings would be in line with the ‘Neural efficiency hypothesis of skill
learning’ where the most skilled persons show less activation than less skilled
ones (Grabner et al., 2006, 2005)
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Neurophysiological changes in yoga
fMRI changes in late Vs early meditators
(Lazar et al., 2000)
dorsolateral
prefrontal
sustained
limbic & Parietal
attention &
paralimbic
autonomic cortex
regions
control
basal
ganglia
ROLE IN PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS
Clinical effectiveness of Meditation in
psychiatric disorders
• Short and long term effects of Meditation on physiological indicators
1. Stress,
2. Personality
3. Cognitive functions,
• Functional and structural plasticity of brain regions important for
attention and emotion regulation,
• Targets : mental disorders with affective and cognitive-attentional
problems
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
Recent meta-analysis on antidepressant medication
raised
1. Serious concerns about its clinical efficacy (Kirsch et al.,
2008)
2. Controversial Use in Teenagers -side effects & suicide
risk (Vitiello and Swedo, 2004).
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
• Sahaja Yoga Meditation over 6 weeks in 24 pts with
MDD showed
(compared to a control group and a group receiving CBT)
• Reduction in symptoms of anxiety, depression and
general mental health
• Effect sizes were high, ( Cohen’s d = 1.2–2.1)
• Replication in a larger sample is needed
(Morgan, 2001).
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
• Sudarshan Kriya Yoga- effectiveness in patients with
depression on symptoms of anxiety and depression in a RCT
(Rubia et al., 1999, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009; Smith et al., 2006)
SCHIZOPHRENIA
• Patients with several years of illness & stabilized pharmacological
therapy, were offered :
1. 1 month training f/b 3 months of home practices of yoga as an add-
on treatment
2. Exercise
3. Treatment as usual.
• Yoga group -Improvement in negative symptoms on PANSS and Social
Dysfunction Ratings
• Exercise group -Improved in Social Dysfunction Rating
Studies were not RCT -more research needed to assess negative effects
of meditation for individuals with mental illness
CONCERNS IN REVIEWS FOR YOGA
• Inconsistent approach in types of yoga/meditation -based
interventions between various studies.
• Cross sectional studies - confounded by cohort effects.
• Meditation practices associated with lifestyle changes - affect
health and personality.
• Lack of Longitudinal studies
• Lack of randomized well-controlled study groups
• Small sample size-poor power of studies
• Delayed onset of effects of yoga- loss to follow up of pts
CONCERNS IN REVIEWS FOR YOGA
• Aim of meditation “experience of mystical higher states of
consciousness beyond the thinking mind” –
Not amenable to measure by scientific rationale
PROBLEMS IN PRACTICING YOGA
1. Compliance- discontinuation of yoga after discharge
2. Systems aspects- lack of family member encouragement for
adherence
3. competitiveness- overdosing causes discomfort-poor long term
compliance
4. Competent use of yoga- health status and personal diffrences
influences indications and contraindications for yogic practices
5. Delayed onset of effects of yoga – poor compliance
CONCLUSION
Several Meditation techniques appear to have short and longterm
effects on functional and structural brain plasticity as well as on
physiological indicators of relaxation and stress relief.
Multi-centric trials are required to examine not only the efficacy but the
effectiveness, of yoga treatment, which can then be translated to routine
medical care across the world.
REFERENCES
• "yoga.OED online” Oxford University Press. September 2015. Retrieved 9
September 2015
• Nespor K. Twelve years of experience with yoga in psychiatry.Int J Psychosom
1993;40(1-4):105-7.
• Katya Rubia, The neurobiology of Meditation and its clinical effectiveness in
psychiatric disorders, Biological Psychology, Volume 82, Issue 1, Sep 2009 pg 1-11
• Kitamura, M. (2013). Harvard yoga scientists find proof of meditation benefit.
Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-22/harvard-yoga-
scientists-find-proof-ofmeditation-benefit.html.
• Janakiramaiah N, Gangadhar BN, Naga Venkatesha Murthy PJ, Harish MG,
Subbakrishna DK, Vedamurthachar A (2000) Antidepressant efficacy of Sudarshan
Kriya Yoga (SKY) in melancholia: a randomized comparison with electroconvulsive
therapy (ECT) and imipramine. J Affect Disorders 57: 255-259.
REFERENCES