None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Depression is associated with moderate impairment in cognition, and this impairment is associated with functional impairment and even suicide. Second generation antidepressants and psychotherapies are first line treatment for depression. However, impairment in cognition among individuals with depression persists even after receiving conventional treatment, resulting in an urge to investigate alternative treatment modalities such as yoga. Yoga is known to improve cognition, neurobiological and psychological outcomes in various populations, however these studies are limited by study design, sample size, and heterogenous nature of population, and further randomized controlled trials are warranted. Hence, the present study is designed to assess the effect of yoga on cognition (i.e., neuropsychological tests), neurobiological (i.e., markers of stress, neuroplasticity, neurodegeneration and cortical inhibition) and psychological outcomes (i.e., psychological questionnaires) in individuals with depression. In this uneven two-arm randomized control trial, participants of both genders, aged 18 to 45 years and having moderate to severe depression as measured by ‘Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology Self-Report’, will be randomly allocated into 12 weeks yoga intervention (n = 34) or waitlist control (n = 17) groups. Participants in the intervention group will perform yoga, 3 days a week for 12 weeks, while participants in the waitlist group will be provided with yoga training after the 12 weeks follow-up. Outcome assessments will be done at baseline (t1), at the end of the 12 (t2) and 24 (t3) weeks. The primary outcome will be between group differences on global cognition from t1 to t2. Secondary and tertiary outcomes will assess between and within (yoga group only) differences in a number of cognitive functions, neurobiological markers and psychological outcomes associated with mental health and/or depression severity, across all time points.
Interventions
The participants will be provided with a 12-week yoga intervention, consisting of three guided sessions per week. Participants will be required to physically attend three sessions with the yoga instructor on weeks 1, 5 and 9. The remaining guided sessions will be done using the Zoom platform. Although it is not compulsory, participants will be encouraged to engage in home-based yoga practice on the remaining days of the week by the yoga instructor. A URL link to yoga videos and instruction manua
The participants will be provided with a 12-week yoga intervention, consisting of three guided sessions per week. Participants will be required to physically attend three sessions with the yoga instructor on weeks 1, 5 and 9. The remaining guided sessions will be done using the Zoom platform. Although it is not compulsory, participants will be encouraged to engage in home-based yoga practice on the remaining days of the week by the yoga instructor. A URL link to yoga videos and instruction manuals will be provided to the participants on the first day of the yoga session. Yoga sessions will be conducted by a trained yoga therapist. Participants in the experimental group will be divided into three groups (2 groups of 11 and one group of 12). When participants are unable to attend a scheduled group session, the yoga instructor will follow up with the participant to arrange 1:1 delivery of the sessions via zoom. Participants will be provided with a logbook to keep the record of unsupervised session at home. To ensure adherence, attendance of participants in supervised sessions will be kept by the yoga instructor. The yoga classes will be 45 minutes each and the sequence has been developed based on research on yoga and depression. The yoga module is structured in a progressive order, with certain practices being removed, new practices being introduced, or the repetition of some existing practices being increased triweekly. Yoga in this project refers to hatha yoga, which comprises sun salutations (surya namaskara), yoga postures (asanas), breath control/exercise (pranayama), and guided relaxation (dhyana). The designed yoga module meets the criteria for a moderate level of physical activity.
Sponsors
Victoria University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 45 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
• Individuals with scores 11 to 20 in 16-items Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology Self-Report (QIDS-SR) • Able to participate in 36 yoga sessions over 12 weeks • Aged between 18 to 45 years • Body Mass Index (BMI) 18 to 40 • All genders • Able to read and write in English
Exclusion criteria
• Individuals with score less than 11 (mild or no symptom of depression) and above 20 (very severe depression) in 16-items Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomology Self-Report (QIDS-SR) • Involved in regular mindfulness-based activity (3 or more days per week, or more than 150 min of mindfulness-based activity per week) in the previous 3 months • Significant medical co-morbidities precluding participation in a yoga intervention (e.g., severe cardiovascular disease) • Colour blindness • Individuals with suicide ideation or history of suicide attempts • A previous history and co-morbidities of other psychiatric (excluding anxiety disorder), neurological diseases and substance abuse • Hearing deficits • Pregnancy and physical deformities
Outcome results
None listed