Citation

Sagarwala R, Nasrallah HA. Ann. Clin. Psychiatry 2020; 32(3): 209-215.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Academy of Clinical Psychiatrists)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

32722731

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative/neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by both motor and non-motor symptomology. The reported prevalence of depression in patients with PD is difficult to ascertain due to overlapping somatic symptoms and failure to self-report symptoms. Although antidepressants remain a first-line treatment, they can have adverse effects. Recently, literature has demonstrated that due to its anti-inflammatory properties, yoga may be an effective nonpharmacologic therapy for depression.

METHODS: A search was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from January 2000 to January 2019 that assessed the effects of yoga on depression and motor functioning in PD.

RESULTS: Three studies met the criteria for inclusion. In one RCT, biweekly yoga resulted in a decrease in depression score (P =.056). In another RCT, weekly yoga resulted in a significant decrease in depression and demonstrated that its therapeutic effects are long-lasting. Finally, in a third RCT, no significant difference was found between control and experimental groups in depression after biweekly yoga. However, yoga was found to be protective against worsening of depression.

CONCLUSIONS: Our review suggests that the practice of yoga may be a useful nonpharmacologic adjunctive treatment for depression in patients with PD. However, more controlled RCTs are needed to validate our conclusions.

Language: en