TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of Meditation and Yoga on Anxiety, Depression and Chronic Inflammation in Patients with Parkinson's Disease
T2 - A Randomized Clinical Trial
AU - Kwok, Jojo Yan Yan
AU - Chan, Lily Man Lee
AU - Lai, Charis Ann
AU - Ho, Philip Wing Lok
AU - Choi, Zoe Yuen-kiu
AU - Auyeung, Man
AU - Pang, Shirley Yin Yu
AU - Choi, Edmond Pui Hang
AU - Fong, Daniel Yee Tak
AU - Yu, Doris Sau Fung
AU - Lin, Chia-chin
AU - Walker, Richard
AU - Wong, Samuel Yeung Shan
AU - Ho, Rainbow Tin Hung
PY - 2025/4
Y1 - 2025/4
N2 - Introduction: Clinical guidelines recommend a holistic approach to Parkinson's disease (PD) care, yet randomized trials examining mindfulness-based interventions in this context are scarce. This study investigated the effects of two mindfulness practices - meditation and yoga - on biopsychosocial outcomes in PD patients, including anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, motor/nonmotor symptoms, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL), mindfulness, and stress and inflammation biomarkers, compared to usual care. Methods: 159 participants with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD and a Hoehn and Yahr stage of 1, 2, and 3, were randomized into meditation (n = 53), yoga (n = 52), and control (n = 54). Meditation and yoga were delivered in 90-min groups for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes included anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes included motor and nonmotor symptoms, HRQOL, mindfulness, and serum levels of interleukin-6, cortisol and TNF-alpha. Assessments were done at baseline (T0), 2 months (T1), and 6 months (T2). Linear mixed models were conducted following intentionto- treat principle. Results: Compared to control, both meditation, and yoga groups had significant improvements in anxiety symptoms (meditation: mean difference [MD] = -1.36, 95% CI: -2.46 to-0.26; yoga: MD = -1.61, CI: -2.70 to -0.52), motor symptoms (meditation: MD = -5.35, CI: -8.61 to-2.09; yoga: MD = -6.59, CI: -9.82 to-3.36), HRQOL (meditation: MD = -2.01, CI: -3.41 to-0.62; yoga: MD = -1.45, CI: -2.83 to-0.08), and describing skills (meditation: MD = 0.97, CI: 0.04-1.89; yoga: MD = 0.92, CI: 0.01-1.84) at T1, and significant reductions in serum interleukin-6 levels (meditation: MD = -1.14, CI: -2.18 to-0.10; yoga: MD = -1.11, CI: -2.09 to-0.13) at T2. Only meditation significantly reduced depression (MD = -1.44, CI: -2.57 to-0.30) at T1 and sustained the motor and HRQOL improvements at T2. Conclusion: Meditation and yoga significantly improved anxiety symptoms, chronic inflammation, motor symptoms, mindfulness-describing facet, and HRQOL in PD patients. Meditation provided additional benefits in reducing depressive symptoms and sustaining motor and HRQOL improvements. © 2025 The Author(s).
AB - Introduction: Clinical guidelines recommend a holistic approach to Parkinson's disease (PD) care, yet randomized trials examining mindfulness-based interventions in this context are scarce. This study investigated the effects of two mindfulness practices - meditation and yoga - on biopsychosocial outcomes in PD patients, including anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, motor/nonmotor symptoms, health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL), mindfulness, and stress and inflammation biomarkers, compared to usual care. Methods: 159 participants with a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD and a Hoehn and Yahr stage of 1, 2, and 3, were randomized into meditation (n = 53), yoga (n = 52), and control (n = 54). Meditation and yoga were delivered in 90-min groups for 8 weeks. Primary outcomes included anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms. Secondary outcomes included motor and nonmotor symptoms, HRQOL, mindfulness, and serum levels of interleukin-6, cortisol and TNF-alpha. Assessments were done at baseline (T0), 2 months (T1), and 6 months (T2). Linear mixed models were conducted following intentionto- treat principle. Results: Compared to control, both meditation, and yoga groups had significant improvements in anxiety symptoms (meditation: mean difference [MD] = -1.36, 95% CI: -2.46 to-0.26; yoga: MD = -1.61, CI: -2.70 to -0.52), motor symptoms (meditation: MD = -5.35, CI: -8.61 to-2.09; yoga: MD = -6.59, CI: -9.82 to-3.36), HRQOL (meditation: MD = -2.01, CI: -3.41 to-0.62; yoga: MD = -1.45, CI: -2.83 to-0.08), and describing skills (meditation: MD = 0.97, CI: 0.04-1.89; yoga: MD = 0.92, CI: 0.01-1.84) at T1, and significant reductions in serum interleukin-6 levels (meditation: MD = -1.14, CI: -2.18 to-0.10; yoga: MD = -1.11, CI: -2.09 to-0.13) at T2. Only meditation significantly reduced depression (MD = -1.44, CI: -2.57 to-0.30) at T1 and sustained the motor and HRQOL improvements at T2. Conclusion: Meditation and yoga significantly improved anxiety symptoms, chronic inflammation, motor symptoms, mindfulness-describing facet, and HRQOL in PD patients. Meditation provided additional benefits in reducing depressive symptoms and sustaining motor and HRQOL improvements. © 2025 The Author(s).
KW - Meditation
KW - Mindfulness
KW - Parkinson's disease
KW - Psychological distress
KW - Yoga
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/86000492376
UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/pubmetrics.uri?eid=2-s2.0-86000492376&origin=recordpage
U2 - 10.1159/000543457
DO - 10.1159/000543457
M3 - RGC 21 - Publication in refereed journal
C2 - 40024243
SN - 0033-3190
VL - 94
SP - 101
EP - 118
JO - Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
JF - Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
IS - 2
ER -