Yoga an integrated mind body intervention for improvement in quality of life in individuals with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers
Author: Meenakshi Kaushik1, Anjali Yadav1, Ashishdatt Upadhyay2, Anu Gupta3, Prabhakar Tiwari1, Manjari Tripathi3, Rima Dada1
Affiliation:
1 Lab. for Molecular Reproduction and Genetics, Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
2 Department of Clinical Research Unit, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
3 Department of Neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
Conference/Journal: Front Aging
Date published: 2025 Mar 21
Other:
Volume ID: 6 , Pages: 1449485 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1449485. , Word Count: 277
Background and objective:
Alzheimer's disease (AD) presents profound challenges, significantly impairing quality of life (QOL) for patients and increasing the burden on caregivers. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a tailored 12-week yoga intervention in improving the quality of life for individuals with mild to moderate AD and reducing caregiver burden (CB).
Methods:
This is yoga interventional study with healthy controls enrolled 30 participants (18 males, 12 females) diagnosed with mild to moderate AD by an expert neurologist. Participants were aged 60 years or older and were recruited from an old age home. A 12-week yoga program, including specific postures (asanas), pranayama (breathing exercises), and meditation, was conducted for 1 hour daily, 6 days a week. Neurocognitive assessments were performed pre- and post-intervention using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), and Caregiver Burden (CB) Scale. MoCA scores were analyzed across specific domains, including language, memory, attention, visuospatial ability, delayed recall, abstraction, and orientation.
Results:
The intervention led to significant improvements in quality-of-life measures. GDS scores decreased from 8.36 ± 2.79 to 5.13 ± 3.07 (P < 0.01; 95% CI: -3.98 to -2.31), while MoCA total scores improved from 18.23 ± 4.90 to 21.10 ± 5.09 (P < 0.01; 95% CI: 2.17-3.89). Domain-specific MoCA scores also showed significant enhancements, particularly in language, attention, and delayed recall. Caregiver burden, measured using the CB Scale, demonstrated notable reductions following the intervention (P < 0.01; 95% CI: -2.54 to -1.23).
Conclusion:
This study underscores the significant improvements in depression and cognitive function, and overall quality of life in individuals with mild to moderate AD. Additionally, the intervention alleviated caregiver burden, highlighting its potential as an effective mind-body approach for AD management.
Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; GDS &MoCA scales; caregiver burden; meditation; quality of life; yoga.
PMID: 40191145 PMCID: PMC11968721 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2025.1449485
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