Effect of Yoga on Cognition in College Level Athletes

Phase 1

Not yet recruiting

Conditions: Reaction Time, Working Memory and Attention

Registration Number: CTRI/2019/02/017678

Lead Sponsor: Ashish Nanaware

Brief Summary: Quick decision making or a quick response in sports requires a well-trained mind. The status of mind, how it responds before a gameand during the game, is a major determining outcome factor. In order to train for cognitive performance,there are several computer-based training programs available. These programs are usually expensive and athletes,especially at college level, may not be able to afford these programs. A very convenient and feasible mode forcognitive training is yoga. Yoga is an ancient and traditional exercise methodknown to improve health of individuals. Various meditation techniques,breathing techniques and postures are described in ancient yogic scriptures. Significance of cognitive functions amongathletes is not studied thoroughly. With this study we aim to find out whether the practiceof yoga; namely yogic postures, Surya-namaskar and pranayama help athletes to improvetheir reaction time, working memory and attention,which as a result will help enhance their performance in the game. Thecognitive function will be assessed based on the changes in reaction time of athletespre and post intervention. 56 subjects will be recruited for the study.They will be randomly selected, provided they meet the inclusion and exclusioncriteria. Flanker Test - Eriksen &Eriksen (1974) and N-back Task - Jaeggi et al (2010) will be used to determine the outcomes of the study.

Participants in the Yoga group will be given a30-minute program comprising of 3 rounds of *Surya-namaskar*(sun salutation), 5 minutes of *Shavasana*(supine resting position), 5 minutes of *Swastikasana*,13 minutes of *Pranayama* (whichincludes *Anuloma viloma pranayama*, *Suryabedhana pranayama*, *Bhramari pranayama*) and 5 minutes of *So-ham* meditation (17). Participantswill be encouraged to follow this program thrice a week for 4 weeks withoutmodifying any other daily routine. The sessions will be conducted on alternatedays, early in the morning, preferably on empty stomach Control group participants will follow theirnormal daily routine without any modification; they will be advised againstdoing Yoga until the end of study period. Data will be entered in a master chart andchecked for normality using Shapiro Wilk test. Depending on the normality,parametric (paired and independent t test) or non-parametric (Whitney U testand Wilcoxon sign rank test) test will be used for analysis. Level ofsignificance will be set at 0.05. Within and between groups comparison resultswill be used to comment about the effectiveness of yoga program on cognitivefunctioning in college level athletes.

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Not Yet Recruiting

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 56

Inclusion Criteria

College/institutional level athletes (both land and water based).
Participants who can understand English language.
Not practicing yoga for at least past 6 months.

Exclusion Criteria

History of any musculoskeletal injury that limits participation in physical activity.
History of any mental illness or psychological disorder.
Taking psychoactive drugs.
Substance abusers.

Study & Design

Study Type: Interventional

Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Memory (n-back)	Immediate and post intervention (after four weeks)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Reaction time (flanker)	Immediate and post intervention (after four weeks)

Trial Locations

Locations (1): Centre for Sports Science, Medicine and Research, MARENA
🇮🇳
Udupi, KARNATAKA, India
Centre for Sports Science, Medicine and Research, MARENA
🇮🇳Udupi, KARNATAKA, India
Ashish Nanaware
Principal investigator
7506827511
aashieshn@gmail.com