Background: To date, no one has prospectively evaluated yoga intervention-induced changes in brain structure or function in adults with acquired brain injuries (ABI). Thus, this study was conducted to test the feasibility of acquiring neuroimaging data from adults with ABI before and after a yoga intervention.
Methods: This was a single-arm intervention feasibility study that included 12 adults with chronic (i.e., greater than 6 months post-injury) ABI and self-reported limitations in balance. Neuroimaging data were acquired before and after yoga. The yoga intervention was completed once per week for eight weeks. Feasibility objectives and benchmarks were established a priori.
Results: Most feasibility objectives and benchmarks were achieved. The goal of recruiting 12 participants was successfully achieved, and 75% of participants were retained throughout the study (goal of 80%). All imaging feasibility benchmarks were met; rs-fMRI and fNIRS data were acquired safely, data were of acceptable quality, and data pre-processing procedures were successful. Additionally, improvements were detected in balance after yoga, as group-level balance was significantly better post-yoga compared to pre-yoga, p = 0.043.
Conclusions: These findings indicate it is feasible to acquire neuroimaging data from adults with ABI before and after a yoga intervention. Thus, future prospective studies are warranted.
Keywords: Hatha yoga; acquired brain injury; feasibility study; functional near-infrared spectroscopy; resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.