Common yoga protocol improves cognitive functions and neural connectivity: a randomized controlled fMRI study in healthy adults

The UN’s International Day of Yoga promotes global participation through the 45-min Common Yoga Protocol (CYP), suitable for all age groups. This randomized controlled study in Pune, India recruited 139 non-alcoholic and nonsmoking healthy adults (18–55 years) to either a 45-day CYP intervention or waitlist control to study effect of CYP. Primary outcome was affect assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Secondary outcomes included cognitive domains assessed using the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST), Digit Span test, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and resting-state fMRI in a subgroup (n = 50) to assess changes in connectivity of large-scale brain networks. Data were analysed using Intention to Treat using ANCOVA with baseline value as a covariate. CYP practice significantly improved positive affect (∆ = 4, p < 0.001), reduced negative affect (∆ = − 3.4, p < 0.001), enhanced digit span scores (total ∆ = 1.1, p = 0.01; forward ∆ = 0.84, p < 0.001), and improved sleep quality (∆ = − 1.2, p < 0.001). Backward span gains were nonsignificant, and DSST showed no group differences. fMRI revealed altered connectivity in sensorimotor, cerebellar, language, salience, and dorsal attention networks favouring yoga. Forty five days CYP practice significantly improves affect, sleep quality, selected cognitive functions, and neural network connectivity in healthy adults; dorsal attention network changes corelate with positive affect.