Impact of Yoga on Cognitive Function

April 1, 2026 updated by: Chin-Yen Lin, Auburn University

A Pilot and Feasibility Study of a Yoga Intervention in Heart Failure Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mild cognitive impairment is highly prevalent in patients with heart failure and results in poor well-being and quality of life. While yoga has proven effective in promoting cognitive health in older adults through its gentle movements, controlled breathing, and meditation, its effects on patients with heart failure remain unknown. Therefore, this feasibility and pilot study plans to deliver a 12-week yoga intervention and test its effects on cognitive function in patients with heart failure and mild cognitive impairment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Enrolling by invitation

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

A prospective, 2-arm comparative feasibility design will be used. The investigators will enroll 24 patients with a confirmed heart failure diagnosis with mild cognitive impairment. Patients will be randomized equally into yoga intervention or control group. Patients in the yoga intervention group will receive a 60-minute yoga session twice per week for 12-week. Survey, cognitive function data, MRI scans, and blood samples will be collected at baseline and at 3 months (after completion of yoga intervention).

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
24

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Alabama
      • Auburn, Alabama, United States, 36849
        • Auburn University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 55 years and older
  • Confirmed heart failure diagnosis with mild cognitive impairment
  • New York Heart Association functional class II-IV

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Co-existing neurological disorders, traumatic brain injury, psychiatric disorders, or terminal illnesses
  • Have implanted defibrillator, left ventricular assist device placement or cardiac transplant
  • Have any other implanted metals that interfere with the MRI magnetic field for patient safety
  • Substance abuse
  • Pregnant
  • Unable to perform yoga due to physical limitations or severity of illness

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Placebo Comparator: Control condition
Behavioral: Control condition
Patients in the control group will receive care-as-usual from their healthcare providers and will be asked to avoid engaging in yoga during their 3 months in the study.
Experimental: Yoga intervention
Behavioral: Yoga intervention
Patients in the yoga group will receive a 60-minute session, twice per week over 12 weeks for a total of 24 sessions. Each yoga session consists of a warm-up, yoga postures standing or seated depending on the capability of the patient, and relaxation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Brain structure
Time Frame: Change from 0-12 weeks, from baseline pre-intervention to 12 weeks post-intervention
Using structural magnetic resonance imaging to examine brain structure between intervention and control groups. Less brain alteration is optimal.
Change from 0-12 weeks, from baseline pre-intervention to 12 weeks post-intervention
Brain functional connectivity
Time Frame: Change from 0-12 weeks, from baseline pre-intervention to 12 weeks post-intervention
Functional magnetic resonance imaging is used to examine functional connectivity between intervention and control groups. A balance of activity across different brain regions is optimal.
Change from 0-12 weeks, from baseline pre-intervention to 12 weeks post-intervention
Cognitive function
Time Frame: Change from 0-12 weeks, from baseline pre-intervention to 12 weeks post-intervention
Using cognitive tests to examine cognitive function and performance between intervention and control groups. A higher score on cognitive tests indicates better cognitive function.
Change from 0-12 weeks, from baseline pre-intervention to 12 weeks post-intervention
Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor
Time Frame: Change from 0-12 weeks, from baseline pre-intervention to 12 weeks post-intervention
A blood sample will be obtained using phlebotomy to measure the levels of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor and reported in pg/mL. Higher concentrations are optimal.
Change from 0-12 weeks, from baseline pre-intervention to 12 weeks post-intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Auburn University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Auburn campus

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 16, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 21, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 23, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 30, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 1, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • AU-24-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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