Memory Training Versus Yogic Meditation Training in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

April 29, 2026 updated by: Helen Lavretsky, MD, University of California, Los Angeles
The purpose of this pilot study is to test whether 6 months of supervised weekly Kundalini yoga classes and a brief daily meditation homework assignment can improve memory and thinking in older adults with mild memory complaints when compared to weekly classes of memory training with daily homework assignments.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The purpose of this pilot study intervention is to investigate brain mechanisms of response to memory enhancement training (MET) compared to Kundalini yoga and "Kirtan Kriya" meditation using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) that will be acquired from each subject at baseline and at 12 weeks (post-randomization).

Overall, the investigators anticipate recruiting 66 adults with memory complaints and diagnosed with MCI for adults 55 years old and older. Subjects will either receive: (1) MET class for 60 minutes per week; or (2) Kundalini yoga and "Kirtan Kriya" meditation class for 60 minutes per week. All assessments will be completed immediately after the interventions for a total of 10 visits in 12 weeks and a follow-up visit at 6 months (24 weeks)to monitor the overall benefit of the intervention.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

81

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90095
        • UCLA Semel Institute

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

Ages Eligible for Study

55 years to 90 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Mild cognitive impairment amnestic type
  • Clinical Dementia Rating scale score of 0.5
  • SufficientEnglish proficiency and 8th grade or higher reading level as determined by the word reading subtest of the Wide Range Achievement Test-IV
  • Capacity to provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria:

  • Any current or past psychiatric disorders, or recent unstable medical or neurological disorders
  • Any disabilities preventing their participation in the memory enhancement training (MET) (e.g. severe visual or hearing impairment)
  • Insufficient English proficiency
  • Diagnosis of dementia
  • Mini Mental Health Examination score of 24 and below
  • Psychoactive medications
  • Participation in a psychotherapy that involves cognitive training
  • Do not meet criteria for Mild cognitive impairment subtype
  • Prior or current training in yoga.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Memory Training
Group memory training will be administered for amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI)
Behavioral: Memory Training
Participants will attend a weekly memory training class for 12 weeks as well as receive daily memory homework (12 minute duration) for the 12 weeks.
Experimental: Kundalini yoga and meditation
Participants will engage in weekly yoga classes and daily 20 minute meditation
Behavioral: Kundalini yoga and meditation
Participants will participate in a 60 minute yoga and meditation session weekly for 12 weeks and will be assigned a daily Kirtan Kriya meditation (12 minute duration) for 12 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognitive Measures - Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) Total Recall Score
Time Frame: At baseline and at 6 months
Primary outcome measures were administered by a cognitive battery of neuropsychological and included memory and executive functioning. Verbal memory was measured with the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) total recall scores. The HVLT form contains 12 nouns, four words each from one of three semantic categories (e.g., precious gems, articles of clothing, vegetables, etc.), to be learned over the course of three learning trials. When scoring the HVLT, the three learning trials are combined to calculate a total recall score. Total scores range from 0-36 with higher scores indicating better outcome.
At baseline and at 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical Global Impression Scale
Time Frame: Baseline, weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24
The CGI measures severity of illness and global improvement. The CGI is rated on a 7-point scale, with the severity of illness scale using a range of responses from 1 (normal) through to 7 (amongst the most severely ill patients). CGI global improvement scores range from 1 (very much improved) through to 7 (very much worse).
Baseline, weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24
Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)
Time Frame: Baseline and Week 24
Secondary outcomes measures included mood assessments with the GDS, a self-assessment scale often used in geriatric depression trials. The GDS is a 30-item screening tool used to identify depression in older adults. In scoring the Geriatric Depression Scale, each item is scored 0 or 1. The total score on the scale ranges from 0 to 30 with higher scores indicating worse outcome.
Baseline and Week 24
Change in Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Connectivity
Time Frame: Baseline and week 12
FMRI scans will be obtained at baseline and after 12 weeks follow up. Default mode network findings were analyzed and significant effects were identified for yoga and memory enhancement training groups.
Baseline and week 12

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of California, Los Angeles

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Helen Lavretsky, MD, MS, UCLA Semel Institute

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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

September 1, 2013

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2016

Study Completion (Actual)

May 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 30, 2013

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 7, 2013

First Posted (Estimated)

November 14, 2013

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 29, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 13-000821

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

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.

Clinical Trials on Mild Cognitive Impairment

Clinical Trials on Memory Training

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Ireland

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe