Yoga May Elevate Brain GABA Levels, Suggests Treatment For Depression

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Yoga May Elevate Brain GABA Levels, Suggesting Possible Treatment

For Depression

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070521145516.htm

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and

McLean Hospital have found that practicing yoga may elevate brain

gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels, the brain's primary inhibitory

neurotransmitter. The findings, which appear in the May issue of the

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, suggest that the

practice of yoga be explored as a possible treatment for depression

and anxiety, disorders associated with low GABA levels.

The World Health Organization reports that mental illness makes up

to fifteen percent of disease in the world. Depression and anxiety

disorders both contribute to this burden and are associated with low

GABA levels. Currently, these disorders have been successfully

treated with pharmaceutical agents designed to increase GABA levels.

Using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, the researchers

compared the GABA levels of eight subjects prior to and after one

hour of yoga, with 11 subjects who did no yoga but instead read for

one hour. The researchers found a twenty-seven percent increase in

GABA levels in the yoga practitioner group after their session, but

no change in the comparison subject group after their reading

session. The acquisition of the GABA levels was done using a

magnetic resonance spectroscopy technique developed by J.

Jensen, PhD, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical

School and an associate physicist at McLean Hospital.

According to the researchers, yoga has shown promise in improving

symptoms associated with depression, anxiety and epilepsy. " Our

findings clearly demonstrate that in experienced yoga practitioners,

brain GABA levels increase after a session of yoga, " said lead

author Streeter, MD, an assistant professor of psychiatry and

neurology at BUSM and a research associate at McLean Hospital.

" This study contributes to the understanding of how the GABA system

is affected by both pharmacologic and behavioral interventions and

will help to guide the development of new treatments for low GABA

states, " said co-author Domenic Ciraulo, MD, professor and chairman

of the department of psychiatry at BUSM.

" The development of an inexpensive, widely available intervention

such as yoga that has no side effects but is effective in

alleviating the symptoms of disorders associated with low GABA

levels has clear public health advantage, " added senior author

Renshaw, MD, PhD, director of the Brain Imaging Center at Harvard-

affiliated McLean Hospital.

This study was supported in part by grants from the national

Institute of Drug Abuse; the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and

Alcoholism; the National Center for Research Resources, and the

Gennaro Acampora Charity Trust to the Division of Psychiatry, Boston

Medical Center.