Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effect of Yoga and Meditation on Cognitive Function: A Systematic Review & Metaanalysis
Creators
- 1. IPS Academy College of Pharmacy, Rajendra Nagar, A.B. road, Indore, 452012 M.P., India
Description
Background & Objective: Yoga is a potentially beneficial form of physical exercise, but
limited research has been done into its effects on the brain and its function. The objective of
this study was to investigate the impact of yoga and meditation on cognitive function using
randomized controlled trials (RCT) studies.
Methods: A literature search was performed using Pub Med and Google Scholar databases
over the past 10 years for RCT studies that contained articles on the effects of yoga and
meditation on cognitive function. The risk of bias was assessed using modified jadad scale.
For each outcome mean difference (MD) & standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95%
confidence interval (CI) was assessed. Adjusted point estimates from each study was
extracted and combined using the random effect model to determine the heterogeneity of
studies.
Results: Twelve RCT studies with 1,089 participants were included. The mean jadad score
was 5.3 with a 0.6 standard deviation. The studies reported significant positive effect of yoga
on cognitive function (MD = 0.38, 95 per cent CI: 1.21 to 0.45, P=0.37) between the
experimental and control groups. Meditation exhibited a statistically significant effect
compared to standard care control in cognitive function (SMD =2.21, 95% CI [3.99, 0.43], p
<.001), with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 97%, p = 0.01).
Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs suggested that yoga &
meditation showed significant improvement in many cognitive domains of attention and
executive functioning of verbal working memory, auditory attention & short-term retentive
capacity. The research findings support the notion that yoga practices were more effective on
cognitive function than mindfulness meditation.
Abstract (English)
Background & Objective: Yoga is a potentially beneficial form of physical exercise, but
limited research has been done into its effects on the brain and its function. The objective of
this study was to investigate the impact of yoga and meditation on cognitive function using
randomized controlled trials (RCT) studies.
Methods: A literature search was performed using Pub Med and Google Scholar databases
over the past 10 years for RCT studies that contained articles on the effects of yoga and
meditation on cognitive function. The risk of bias was assessed using modified jadad scale.
For each outcome mean difference (MD) & standard mean difference (SMD) with a 95%
confidence interval (CI) was assessed. Adjusted point estimates from each study was
extracted and combined using the random effect model to determine the heterogeneity of
studies.
Results: Twelve RCT studies with 1,089 participants were included. The mean jadad score
was 5.3 with a 0.6 standard deviation. The studies reported significant positive effect of yoga
on cognitive function (MD = 0.38, 95 per cent CI: 1.21 to 0.45, P=0.37) between the
experimental and control groups. Meditation exhibited a statistically significant effect
compared to standard care control in cognitive function (SMD =2.21, 95% CI [3.99, 0.43], p
<.001), with significant heterogeneity (I2 = 97%, p = 0.01).
Conclusion: This systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs suggested that yoga &
meditation showed significant improvement in many cognitive domains of attention and
executive functioning of verbal working memory, auditory attention & short-term retentive
capacity. The research findings support the notion that yoga practices were more effective on
cognitive function than mindfulness meditation.
Files
IJCPR,Vol14,Issue4,Article7.pdf
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Additional details
Dates
- Accepted
-
2022-12-18