The Impact of a Yoga-Based Mindfulness Intervention versus Psycho-Educational Session for Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: The Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: There is a global agreement in the medical community that a significant proportion of dementia cases could be prevented or postponed. One of the factors behind this agreement comes from scientific evidence showing that mind-body interventions such as mindfulness and yoga for the elderly have been related to a range of positive outcomes, including improved cognition performance in seniors with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a yoga-based mindfulness intervention (YBM) versus psychoeducational sessions for older adults with MCI attending Hospital Clinic Universidad de Chile in Santiago. Method: Two-arm, individually randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be carried out at Clinical Hospital Universidad de Chile in Santiago. Older people over 60 years with any type of MCI using a score < 21 in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test and a score of 0.05 in the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) Scale; and with preserved activities of daily living will be randomly assigned with an allocation ratio of 1:1 in either the yoga-based mindfulness intervention or the active control group based on the psycho-educational program. People who have performed yoga and/or mindfulness in the last 6 months or/and people with a psychiatric clinical diagnosis will be excluded from the study. Montreal Cognitive Assessment, the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (IADL), the Barthel Index (BI), the Pemberton happiness index, the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI) as well as the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-5) will be administered by blinded outcomes assessors before random assignment (Pre-test), the week following the last session of the intervention (post-test), and then after 3- and 6-months follow-up. Results: The YBM intervention protocol based on a video recording has been adapted and designed. This is the first RCT to examine the effects of a yoga-based mindfulness intervention in improving cognitive and physical functions and mental health outcomes for Chilean elderly diagnosed with MCI. It is expected to be implemented as an acceptable and effective non-pharmacological option for older people with MCI. Conclusion: Providing evidence-based programs such as preventive therapy for Alzheimer’s disease has relevant implications for public mental health services in Chile.

Mindfulness and Yoga

“…Future research needs to continue to test the efficacy of these interventions on diverse populations. For example, randomized controlled trials are currently ongoing with elderly populations who experience mild cognitive impairment in Chile (Farhang et al, 2022).…”

Benefits of therapeutic Yoga in reducing stress in the elderly

“…Baklouti, et al (2022), conducted a cross-sectional study on the effects of hatha yoga on the cognitive functions of the elderly, the main objective was to investigate the effects of hatha yoga on the cognitive functions of the elderly, and had two research groups, it was concluded that hatha yoga in the long term generate better cognitive skills in those who practice it, Unlike those who made up the control group, it is necessary to be able to examine more physiological and psychological variables to highlight the correlation between yoga and cognitive performance [12]. In the study conducted by Farhang et al, (2022), the purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness intervention based on the practice of yoga (YBM), an individual randomized controlled trial (RCT) was carried out, as results of the study it has been possible to adapt and design the intervention protocol, the evaluation has allowed to examine the effects of a mindfulness intervention based on yoga that allows to improve the functions cognitive and physical of older adults diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment [13]. Zhang et al, (2018), conducted research to demonstrate mind-body effects on cognitive performance of the elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis.…”

Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) in Patients with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease: A Pilot Study

“…Promising interventions are mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), which, as opposed to mere cognitive training, improve moment-to-moment attention control while simultaneously [ 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ] reducing distractions due to internal and external interruptions. The other benefits of these meditation or mindfulness practices are a reduction in stress and an improvement in mood, quality of life, and socio-emotional and cognitive balance in general [ 23 , 26 ].…”