Kundalini yoga, which focuses on breathing, meditation and mental visualization, was found to be beneficial for older women who had risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and were worried about episodes of memory loss, according to a new study from UCLA Health (USA).
p> 
Researchers from the Institute of Neurology and Human Behavior. Semel of the University of California, Los Angeles, using a type of MRI that measures activity in areas and sub-regions of the brain, found that kundalini yoga, which combines movement and meditation and focuses on breathing, mantra repetition, and mental visualization, increases connectivity in the area. brain that can be affected by stress and is associated with memory loss.
Led by psychiatrist Dr. Helen Lavretsky, the scientists studied the effects of yoga versus the gold standard memory training (MET) training on connectivity in subregions of the hippocampus, an important brain region for learning and memory. MET is based on methods that use verbal and visual associations, as well as practical strategies to improve memory.
The researchers concluded that Kundalini yoga training seemed to better target the stress-related hippocampal connection , while MET may better target sensory integration subregions of the hippocampus, maintaining better memory reliability.
The study involved 22 participants who were part of a larger randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of yoga on the risk of Alzheimer's disease. The average age among the 11 yoga participants was about 61 years old and in the MET group about 65 years old. All had a self-reported deterioration in memory function during the previous year and one or more cardiovascular risk factors that may also increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease. These include plaque buildup in the arteries, a recent heart attack, diabetes, and treatment for high blood pressure or high cholesterol.