According to a pilot study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, meditation has the potential to increase brain activity and improve memory and cognition in people with Alzheimer’s Disease. The study, which appeared in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, showed that tests in memory and cognition improved after 8 weeks of participation in Kirtan Kriya meditation. This type of meditation involves repetitive finger movements plus repeating the sounds Saa Taa Naa Maa (Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, Newberg AB et al. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2010 Apr; 20(2).

“Meditation is practiced by millions of people around the world, yet this is the first study to explore its potential in reversing memory loss in people who suffer with cognitive impairment,” notes Dharma Singh Khalsa, founding President and Medical Director of the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation. At the VNS CHOICE Adult Day Center, our yoga therapist leads a similar type of meditation with participants at the end of her yoga sessions. Our staff are now eagerly doing it as well! Time will tell if we see positive effects on memory and cognition, but given this new information, our seniors are now motivated to participate even more fully, which is beneficial for stress reduction and mental health.

At our Center, we’re open to trying any interventions that may help people with memory loss. Andrew Newberg, MD, associate professor of radiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a co-author of the study, noted that “It would be extremely useful to have a cost-effective, non-pharmacological approach to slowing memory loss.” (Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation, Newberg AB et al. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease 2010 Apr; 20(2)