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Can mind/body medicine help your memory?

Or, even better, can stress-relieving techniques like mind/body exercises actually help you prevent Alzheimer's disease?

Here you can read about two research projects ARPF has done in conjunction with recognized universities and their associated clinics (plus, you'll receive a guide to performing the same simple exercise process that significantly helped study participants).

Kirtan Kriya Singing Exercise
2003 Research Study Information

This study occurred at the Amen Clinic in Newport Beach, California in 2003. It was a joint project between the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation and the Amen Clinic of Newport Beach, California, affiliated with the University of California at Irvine.

What does Kirtan Kriya mean?

A kirtan is a song. Kriya refers to a specific set of movements. In the Eastern tradition, kriyas are used to help bring the body, mind, and emotions into balance, thus creating healing.

So then, what is Kirtan Kriya Exercise?

Kirtan Kriya (see illustrated instructions below) is a 12-minute singing exercise in the Kundalini yoga tradition that people have been practicing for thousands of years. This meditation involves repetitive finger movements, or mudras, plus singing the sounds, or mantra, Saa Taa Naa Maa. These ancient primal sounds from Sanskrit, taken together, mean "my true identity" or "my highest self."

What did the study investigate and how many participants were involved?

It was hypothesized that Kirtan Kriya singing exercise would show activation of the frontal lobe and activation of the hippocampus. Eleven subjects (experienced at meditation) were brought in to test this hypothesis. They first sat quietly and had a baseline control SPECT scan study of their brain (SPECT stands for Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography). The subjects then practiced the Kirtan Kriya exercise for 12 minutes. After completion, they each had another SPECT scan taken of their brains.

What exactly was measured during this study?

The subjects' brain physiology was measured before and after practicing the Kirtan Kriya exercise. This project represented the first study of its kind to look at mind/body exercise and neurofunction in a medically prescribed manner, in this case for 12 minutes.

What did the SPECT scan from the study show before the Kirtan Kriya singing exercise?

In one of the brain scans, we saw that the dimples in the front of the brain show a lack of complete blood flow, a risk factor for Alzheimer's. The area located on the back region of the brain is lumpy and asymmetrical, also due to a lack of blood flow. In the center of the brain, no thalamus is visible.

Brain Before Kirtan Kriya Practice

What did a SPECT scan of the same brain described above show after the Kirtan Kriya singing exercise?

A SPECT scan of the same brain showed that the dimples had disappeared, showing an increase in blood flow. The back of the brain is fuller and more symmetrical. The thalamus is now visible in the center of the brain. The thalamus controls appetite and sleep cycles, sets the emotional tone of the mind, and promotes bonding.

Brain After Kirtan Kriya Practice

What was the final summary on this study's findings?

Utilizing SPECT scans in subjects practicing the Kirtan Kriya singing exercise for twelve minutes produced a brain picture consistent with increase in attention, concentration, and focus. Perhaps most significantly, the Kirtan Kriya proved to activate one of the first areas of the brain to degenerate with Alzheimer's disease - the posterior cingulate gyrus.

This finding raises the compelling question: could Alzheimer's disease possibly be holistically prevented in only 12 minutes a day?

Who helped support this study?

This study was made possible through a grant by an anonymous supporter, funding by the Alzheimer's Research & Prevention Foundation International, and an in-kind grant by Amen Clinics, Inc.

Kirtan Kriya Exercise Joint 2006 Research Project with the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation decided to examine this question: what is the effectiveness of mind/body medicine on early cognitive impairment?

Who performed this study?

Under the direction of Principal Investigator Andrew Newberg, M.D., Associate Professor of Radiology, Psychiatry, and Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Associate Fellow Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D., President and Medical Director of the ARPF, the study looked at patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or symptoms of early Alzheimer's disease.

Why was the study done?

This study combined the Kirtan Kriya singing exercise with brain imaging over a period of time to see if mind/body medicine improved cognitive function - and to discover whether this technique is associated with actual change in the brain's activity levels. The study is an extension of previous research discussed above and remains ongoing.

What was involved in this study?

Participants in this study also learned the Kirtan Kriya singing exercise, identified as one of the most effective types of mind/body medicine practice. Study participants performed this singing exercise program every day for eight weeks to see if this technique changed their brain's response to different tasks.

The study used SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) imaging to capture the baseline image of the brain as well as the brain's activity after this exercise. Images were taken at the beginning of the study and then after the eight-week program. In addition all the necessary neuropsychological tests were done at the beginning and at the end of the eight weeks.

What were the results?

Fifteen subjects with memory loss/mild cognitive impairment were scanned before and after this exercise.

Conclusion: The Kirtan Kriya singing exercise reverses memory loss and enhances brain function. This study provides fertile ground for further long-term research on the measurement and research of memory loss.

Research on the improvement and reversal of memory loss

The ultimate results of this research could finally help answer lingering questions over whether or not stress-reducing techniques and mind/body medicine can lessen or even prevent cognitive decline, typical of diseases such as Alzheimer's.

Who helped support this study?

The study was funded by a research grant from the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation, thanks to the support of the Spiritwood Foundation & Rocco Michael Passaretti Research Fund, the Marana Rotary Club, the Hay Foundation, Dr. Dave Woynarowski, and Terasem Movement, Inc.

Click here to read more about the study in Medical News Today.

Click here to read the full University of Pennsylvania press release (PDF).

More Information about the Kirtan Kriya Singing Exercise

The Alzheimer's Research & Prevention Foundation has assembled this information on the Kirtan Kriya singing exercise for medical professionals, the public, caregivers, the media, and anyone interested in improving their brain function and improving memory loss.

Kirtan Kriya exercise utilizes the primal sounds - and is meant to be practiced for greater attention, concentration, improved short term memory, and better mood. The primal sounds consist of:

• Saa
• Taa
• Naa
• Maa

The sounds are chanted repeatedly and in order (i.e., Saa Taa Naa Maa). Taken together. this means "My true identity" or "My highest or best self."

Kirtan Kriya Singing Exercise Instructions

If you would like to practice the Kirtan Kriya singing exercise, here are the basic steps:

L Form of Concentration

1. Repeat the Saa Taa Naa Maa sounds (or mantra) while sitting with your spine straight. Your focus of concentration is the L form (see illustration at right), while your eyes are closed. With each syllable, imagine the sound flowing in through the top of your head and out the middle of your forehead (your third eye point).
   
   
2. For two minutes, sing in your normal voice.
   
   
3. For the next two minutes, sing in a whisper.
   
   
4. For the next four minutes, say the sound silently to yourself.
   
   
5. Then reverse the order, whispering for two minutes, and then out loud for two minutes, for a total of twelve minutes.
   
   
6. To come out of the exercise, inhale very deeply, stretch your hands above your head, and then bring them down slowly in a sweeping motion as you exhale.

The mudras, or finger positions, are very important in this kriya (see illustration below).

• On Saa, touch the index fingers of each hand to your thumbs.
• On Taa, touch your middle fingers to your thumbs.
• On Naa, touch your ring fingers to your thumbs.
• On Maa, touch your little fingers to your thumbs.

© Copyright 2008 Alzheimer's Research & Prevention Foundation