AUTHOR=Novaes Morgana M. , Palhano-Fontes Fernanda , Onias Heloisa , Andrade Katia C. , Lobão-Soares Bruno , Arruda-Sanchez Tiago , Kozasa Elisa H. , Santaella Danilo F. , de Araujo Draulio Barros 

TITLE=Effects of Yoga Respiratory Practice (Bhastrika pranayama) on Anxiety, Affect, and Brain Functional Connectivity and Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00467

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00467

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Pranayama</italic> refers to a set of yoga breathing exercises. Recent evidence suggests that the practice of <italic>pranayama</italic> has positive effects on measures of clinical stress and anxiety. This study explored the impact of a <italic>Bhastrika pranayama</italic> training program on emotion processing, anxiety, and affect. We used a randomized controlled trial design with thirty healthy young adults assessed at baseline and after 4 weeks of <italic>pranayama</italic> practices. Two functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols were used both at baseline and post-intervention: an emotion task as well as a resting-state acquisition. Our results suggest that <italic>pranayama</italic> significantly decreased states of anxiety and negative affect. The practice of <italic>pranayama</italic> also modulated the activity of brain regions involved in emotional processing, particularly the amygdala, anterior cingulate, anterior insula, and prefrontal cortex. Resting-state functional MRI (fMRI) showed significantly reduced functional connectivity involving the anterior insula and lateral portions of the prefrontal cortex. Correlation analysis revealed that changes in connectivity between the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and the right anterior insula were associated with changes in anxiety. Although it should be noted that these analyses were preliminary and exploratory, it provides the first evidence that 4 weeks of <italic>B. pranayama</italic> significantly reduce the levels of anxiety and negative affect, and that these changes are associated with the modulation of activity and connectivity in brain areas involved in emotion processing, attention, and awareness. The study was registered at <uri xlink:href="https://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-2gv5c2/(RBR-2gv5c2)" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">https://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-2gv5c2/(RBR-2gv5c2)</uri>.</p>