healthbriefs


Yoga Boosts Brain Gray Matter R


esearch from the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University Medical Center has found that a regular


hatha yoga practice increases gray matter within the brain, reversing the loss found among those with chronic pain. The researchers tested seven hatha yoga meditation practitioners and seven non-practitioners. Each of the subjects underwent tests for depression, anxiety, moods and cognition levels, along with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans. The scientists found that the brains of the yoga


meditation practitioners contained significantly greater


gray matter by volume in key brain regions, including the frontal, temporal and occipital cortices, plus the cerebellum and the hippocampus, compared to the non-yoga subjects. The yoga meditation practitioners also had more gray area in the prefrontal cortex regions that are involved in decision-making, reward/consequence, control and coordination.


Support Groups Keep Artery Patients Mobile


R


esearch published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has determined that when


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peripheral artery disease patients engage in behavioral support groups that encourage exercise, they realize increased mobility. The researchers from Northwestern University followed 194 patients for a


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year, testing subjects at six months and again at 12 months. The patients were divided into two groups; one attended weekly intervention group meetings, while the control group attended weekly lectures. After six months, the researchers found that only 6.3 percent of those that attended the support group meetings experienced mobility loss, compared to 26.5 percent of those that didn’t attend the meetings. After one year, the support group attendees again showed positive results.


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The control group had 18.5 percent loss in mobility, while only 5.2 percent of the support group attendees did.


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