ReviewFrontiers in integrative neuroscience2020
What Has Neuroimaging Taught Us on the Neurobiology of Yoga? A Review.
Review in Frontiers in integrative neuroscience, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
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Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- How yoga shapes the brain: a systematic review.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Perspectives Among Veterans with Chronic Pain and Co-Occurring Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Mixed-Method Findings from a Neuromodulation and Yoga Intervention.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Brain resting state functional connectivity changes with aerobic exercise, and mindfulness: A narrative review.Sports medicine and health science · 2026Review
- Comprehensive review on the benefits and physiological basis of yoga.World journal of methodology · 2026Review
- Long-term effects of yoga-based practices on neural, cognitive, psychological, and physiological outcomes in adults: a scoping review and evidence map.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2025Article
- Remodeling the Epigenome Through Meditation: Effects on Brain, Body, and Well-being.Sub-cellular biochemistry · 2025Review
- Therapeutic potential of yoga nidra for chemo brain: a complementary and integrative perspective.Psychoradiology · 2025Review
- What can the psychoneuroimmunology of yoga teach us about depression's psychopathology?Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Article
- Are There Biological Correlates of Response to Yoga-Based Interventions in Depression? A Critical Scoping Review.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Yoga for Migraine Prevention: An Ancient Practice with Evidence for Current Use.Current pain and headache reports · 2024Review
- The impact of yoga on aging physiology: A review.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2024Review
- Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A State-of-the-art Review.Current neuropharmacology · 2024Review
- Yoga improves self-reported cognitive function among cancer survivors: results from the STAYFit trial.Frontiers in cognition · 2024Article
- Multimodal non-invasive non-pharmacological therapies for chronic pain: mechanisms and progress.BMC medicine · 2023Review
- Management of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms by yoga: an overview.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Review
- Impact of Diet and Exercise Interventions on Cognition and Brain Health in Older Adults: A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2023Review
- Prenatal Yoga-Based Interventions May Improve Mental Health during Pregnancy: An Overview of Systematic Reviews with Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Online Yoga and Ayurveda Intervention as Tertiary Prevention of Psychological Comorbidities in COVID-19 Survivors: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Annals of neurosciences · 2022Article
- A perspective of yoga on smartphone addiction: A narrative review.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2022Review
- Yoga in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Narrative Review.Crohn's & colitis 360 · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Yoga is becoming increasingly popular worldwide, with several implicated physical and mental benefits. Here we provide a comprehensive and critical review of the research generated from the existing neuroimaging literature in studies of yoga practitioners. We reviewed 34 international peer-reviewed neuroimaging studies of yoga using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), or single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT): 11 morphological and 26 functional studies, including three studies that were classified as both morphological and functional. Consistent findings include increased gray matter volume in the insula and hippocampus, increased activation of prefrontal cortical regions, and functional connectivity changes mainly within the default mode network. There is quite some variability in the neuroimaging findings that partially reflects different yoga styles and approaches, as well as sample size limitations. Direct comparator groups such as physical activity are scarcely used so far. Finally, hypotheses on the underlying neurobiology derived from the imaging findings are discussed in the light of the potential beneficial effects of yoga.
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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.