美國《精神病學新聞》期刊在今年 5/3 發表的一篇文章，提到昆達里尼瑜伽對強化中老年人認知功能的正面影響，譯出來給大家參考。
研究顯示，昆達里尼瑜伽
能增強中老年人的認知功能
隨著人類平均壽命的不斷增加，我們需要更多的措施來防止或減緩老齡化人口的認知功能障礙。美國老年精神病協會在2016年年度會議中提出的試驗研究顯示，某個特定類型的瑜伽可以作為中老年人防止或延緩認知能力下降的一項可行的治療選擇。
「愈來愈多的老年人擔心記憶力減退和其他認知障礙的疾病，如阿滋海默症和其他的癡呆症，」加州大學洛杉磯分校 (UCLA) 精神病學系教授海倫拉夫烈茨基醫學博士在接受《精神病學新聞》期刊採訪時表示。「事實上，」拉夫烈茨基說，「過去的研究已經顯示，大約35％居住於社區的老年人有主觀認知障礙的問題。」「對於希望能夠防止認知能力下降的人，我們一直缺乏真正的解方，所以現在我們想告訴他們，瑜伽不僅可以幫助他們，並且能提供改善他們記憶和認知的機會。」
在這項研究中，拉夫烈茨基和同事招募了81位55歲以上，受主觀記憶問題所苦的參與者，他們都達到輕度認知障礙的標準 (臨床失智量表總分0.5)。
在為期12週的隨機試驗中，39 位參與者每周做一次為時一小時的昆達利尼瑜伽，這是一種側重於冥想和呼吸技巧的溫和瑜伽。參與者同時每天做 20 分鐘昆達里尼風格的冥想和拉筋動作，作為每日的家庭作業。其餘的志願者則參與了增強記憶訓練（MET）- 目前用以改善認知功能的 「黃金標準」技術，拉夫烈茨基說。 MET 參與者學習了增強記憶的技巧，如利用日誌做活動追踪和學習記住面孔與姓名的技巧。
所有參與者在12週隨機試驗期間和之後24週的追蹤期間，都在記憶、執行功能、言語流暢性、情緒和彈性等各方面受到評估。這項研究的評估者並不知道參與者所參與的是哪個治療方案。
結果顯示，在12週後，瑜伽方案和MET方案的參與者在回想記憶 (recall memory) 和視覺記憶都有顯著改進。言語流暢度只在MET群組中是顯著的，而執行功能的改善則只在瑜伽群組中是顯著。將時間點拉到 24 周追蹤期的尾聲，瑜伽和MET組均顯示在記憶力提升上有顯著功效，然而只有瑜伽組在言語流暢度和執行功能有著明顯改善。
此外，瑜伽組研究結果顯示，練習瑜伽幫助他們改善抑鬱症狀、冷漠，並幫助他們在處理情緒壓力時更有彈性。 「那些練習瑜伽的人體驗到更廣泛，更持久的影響，」拉夫烈茨基說，「不僅是記憶，同時擴及其他心理領域。」
拉夫烈茨基將記憶力、執行功能與情緒的改善歸功於昆達利尼瑜伽中有助於減壓，可能會引發「腦健身效果」的心智鍛鍊。
她的結論是，縱向臨床試驗的發現，重點應放在預防認知衰退，並評估生物標誌物對治療的反應，從而在昆達利尼瑜伽和認知障礙之間基本機制的連結上指引出一個方向。
鄭倩雯譯
原文出處：http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.pn.2016.4b11
Clinical and Research News
Kundalini Yoga Found to Enhance Cognitive Functioning in Older Adults
Published online: May 03, 2016
As life expectancy continues to increase, so does the need for more interventions to prevent or slow down the progression of cognitive impairment in aging populations. A pilot study presented at the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry suggests that a certain type of yoga may serve as a viable therapeutic option for middle-aged and older adults who are looking for ways to prevent or delay cognitive decline.
iStock/Visiofutura
“There is a growing population of older adults who are worried about memory loss and other cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias,” said Helen Lavretsky, M.D., a professor in residence in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles, in an interview withPsychiatric News. In fact, said Lavretsky, previous research has shown that subjective cognitive impairment occurs in an estimated average of 35 percent of community-dwelling older adults.
“We lack real interventions for people who are looking to prevent cognitive decline, so we wanted to show them that yoga could help them and offer an opportunity to improve their memory and cognition.”
For the study, Lavretsky and colleagues recruited 81 participants aged 55 and older who had subjective memory complaints and met criteria for mild cognitive impairment, indicated by a total score of 0.5 on the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale.
In a 12-week randomized trial, 39 of the participants underwent one-hour weekly sessions of Kundalini Yoga, a nonstrenuous yoga that focuses on meditation and breathing techniques. They also carried out 20-minute daily homework assignments on Kundalini-inspired meditation and stretching. The remaining participants underwent Memory Enhancement Training (MET)—the “gold standard” technique for improving cognitive functioning, said Lavretsky. MET participants learned techniques for enhancing memory such as log tracking of activities and strategies for learning faces and names.
All participants were evaluated on various aspects of memory, executive functioning, and verbal fluency as well as mood and resilience during 12-week and 24-week follow-ups. The study was blinded; evaluators did not know the participants’ treatment regimen.
The results showed that at 12 weeks, both the yoga and MET groups showed significant improvements in recall memory and visual memory. Verbal fluency was significant only in the MET cohort, whereas improvement in executive functioning was significant only in the yoga cohort. While both the yoga and MET groups showed significant sustained improvement in memory up to the 24-week follow-up, only the yoga group showed significant improvement in verbal fluency and sustained significant improvements in executive functioning at week 24.
In addition, the yoga cohort showed significant improvement in depressive symptoms, apathy, and resilience from emotional stress. “Those taking yoga experienced a broader and more sustained effect,” said Lavretsky, “not just on memory, but on other psychological domains.”
Lavretsky attributed the improvement in memory, executive function, and mood to stress-reducing mind exercises associated with Kundalini Yoga that may elicit a “brain fitness effect.”
She concluded that the findings should be addressed in longitudinal clinical trials that are directed at the prevention of cognitive decline and evaluate the response of biomarkers to treatment, thereby shedding light on the underlying mechanisms of the link between Kundalini Yoga and cognitive impairment. ■
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