Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31970064›Full record

ArticleBrain plasticity (Amsterdam, Netherlands)2019

Yoga Effects on Brain Health: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature.

Neha P Gothe, Imadh Khan, Jessica Hayes, Emily Erlenbach, Jessica S Damoiseaux

Registry-linked trialOpen access · diamondAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Brain plasticity (Amsterdam, Netherlands), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07770139 (Comparison of Telerehabilitation-Based Yoga and Yoga-Pranayama on Stress, Anxiety, and Muscle Elastic Properties in University Students), which is not on this map. Cited by 92 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
92citing papers in PubMed, 8 pooled it
15.9field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07770139 naenrolling by invitationnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Comparison of Telerehabilitation-Based Yoga and Yoga-Pranayama on Stress, Anxiety, and Muscle Elastic Properties in University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorIstanbul Gelisim UniversityRan2026 to 2026Enrolled55ConditionsMuscle Aches, Stress, Neck Disorders, StudentsArmsYoga-Pranayama, Exercise
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

92 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 214 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. How yoga shapes the brain: a systematic review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026
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  8. Mind-body practices for cancer-related symptoms management: an overview of systematic reviews including one hundred twenty-nine meta-analyses.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022
    Pooled it
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  16. A Comparison of the Effect of Physical Activity and Cognitive Training on Dual-Task Performance in Older Adults.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2022
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32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Neha P GotheDepartment of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.
Imadh KhanDepartment of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.
Jessica HayesDepartment of Psychology and Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University.
Emily ErlenbachDepartment of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.
Jessica S DamoiseauxDepartment of Psychology and Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · USWayne State University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Yoga is the most popular complementary health approach practiced by adults in the United States. It is an ancient mind and body practice with origins in Indian philosophy. Yoga combines physical postures, rhythmic breathing and meditative exercise to offer the practitioners a unique holistic mind-body experience. While the health benefits of physical exercise are well established, in recent years, the active attentional component of breathing and meditation practice has garnered interest among exercise neuroscientists. As the scientific evidence for the physical and mental health benefits of yoga continues to grow, this article aims to summarize the current knowledge of yoga practice and its documented positive effects for brain structure and function, as assessed with MRI, fMRI, and SPECT. We reviewed 11 studies examining the effects of yoga practice on the brain structures, function and cerebral blood flow. Collectively, the studies demonstrate a positive effect of yoga practice on the structure and/or function of the hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex and brain networks including the default mode network (DMN). The studies offer promising early evidence that behavioral interventions like yoga may hold promise to mitigate age-related and neurodegenerative declines as many of the regions identified are known to demonstrate significant age-related atrophy.

Indexed as

brainCognitionyoga review

Identifiers

PMID31970064
PMCPMC6971819
OpenAlexW2982850536

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.