A pilot study of a yoga meditation protocol for patients with medically refractory epilepsy. 2006

Bhagavatheeswaran Rajesh, and Divakaran Jayachandran, and Govindan Mohandas, and Kurupath Radhakrishnan
R. Madhavan Nayar Center for Comprehensive Epilepsy Care, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.

OBJECTIVE The objective was to assess the efficacy of a yoga meditation protocol (YMP) as an adjunctive treatment in patients with drug-resistant chronic epilepsy. METHODS The design was a prospective, nonrandomized, open-label, add-on trial with a 12-week baseline period, followed by a 12-week supervised YMP administration phase. The frequency of complex partial seizures (CPS) was assessed at 3, 6, and 12 months of the treatment period. METHODS The setting was a comprehensive epilepsy care center attached to a tertiary referral medical institution situated on the southwest coast of the Indian peninsula. METHODS The subjects were 20 patients (14 males and 6 females, age range 15 to 47 years, median 27 years) with unequivocally established diagnoses of epilepsy with at least 4 CPS (with or without secondary generalization) during the preceding 3 months. METHODS Intervention consisted of a YMP 20 minutes twice daily (mornings and evenings) at home, and supervised sessions of a YMP every week for 3 months. Continuation of the YMP beyond 3 months was optional. METHODS The outcome measure was the seizure frequency at 3, 6, and 12 months of the treatment period. The subjects with > or = 50% reduction in monthly seizure rate from baseline were classified as responders, and subjects with <50% seizure reduction as nonresponders. RESULTS At 3 months, a reduction in seizure frequency was noted in all except 1 patient, six of whom had > or = 50% seizure reduction. Of 16 patients who continued the YMP beyond 3 months, 14 patients responded at 6 months; 6 of them were seizure-free for 3 months. All eight patients who continued the YMP beyond 6 months responded; three of them were seizure free for 6 months. CONCLUSIONS If confirmed through randomized trials involving a larger number of patients, this YMP may become a cost-effective and adverse effect-free adjunctive treatment in patients with drug-resistant epilepsies.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D010865 Pilot Projects Small-scale tests of methods and procedures to be used on a larger scale if the pilot study demonstrates that these methods and procedures can work. Pilot Studies,Pilot Study,Pilot Project,Project, Pilot,Projects, Pilot,Studies, Pilot,Study, Pilot
D011446 Prospective Studies Observation of a population for a sufficient number of persons over a sufficient number of years to generate incidence or mortality rates subsequent to the selection of the study group. Prospective Study,Studies, Prospective,Study, Prospective
D004828 Epilepsies, Partial Conditions characterized by recurrent paroxysmal neuronal discharges which arise from a focal region of the brain. Partial seizures are divided into simple and complex, depending on whether consciousness is unaltered (simple partial seizure) or disturbed (complex partial seizure). Both types may feature a wide variety of motor, sensory, and autonomic symptoms. Partial seizures may be classified by associated clinical features or anatomic location of the seizure focus. A secondary generalized seizure refers to a partial seizure that spreads to involve the brain diffusely. (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, pp317) Abdominal Epilepsy,Digestive Epilepsy,Epilepsy, Focal,Epilepsy, Simple Partial,Focal Seizure Disorder,Gelastic Epilepsy,Partial Epilepsy,Partial Seizure Disorder,Seizure Disorder, Partial,Simple Partial Seizures,Amygdalo-Hippocampal Epilepsy,Benign Focal Epilepsy, Childhood,Benign Occipital Epilepsy,Benign Occipital Epilepsy, Childhood,Childhood Benign Focal Epilepsy,Childhood Benign Occipital Epilepsy,Epilepsy, Benign Occipital,Epilepsy, Localization-Related,Epilepsy, Partial,Occipital Lobe Epilepsy,Panayiotopoulos Syndrome,Partial Seizures, Simple, Consciousness Preserved,Rhinencephalic Epilepsy,Seizure Disorder, Focal,Subclinical Seizure,Uncinate Seizures,Abdominal Epilepsies,Amygdalo-Hippocampal Epilepsies,Benign Occipital Epilepsies,Digestive Epilepsies,Disorders, Focal Seizure,Disorders, Partial Seizure,Epilepsies, Abdominal,Epilepsies, Amygdalo-Hippocampal,Epilepsies, Benign Occipital,Epilepsies, Digestive,Epilepsies, Focal,Epilepsies, Gelastic,Epilepsies, Localization-Related,Epilepsies, Occipital Lobe,Epilepsies, Rhinencephalic,Epilepsies, Simple Partial,Epilepsy, Abdominal,Focal Epilepsies,Focal Epilepsy,Focal Seizure Disorders,Gelastic Epilepsies,Lobe Epilepsy, Occipital,Localization-Related Epilepsies,Localization-Related Epilepsy,Occipital Epilepsies, Benign,Occipital Epilepsy, Benign,Occipital Lobe Epilepsies,Partial Epilepsies,Partial Epilepsies, Simple,Partial Seizure Disorders,Partial Seizures, Simple,Rhinencephalic Epilepsies,Seizure Disorders, Focal,Seizure Disorders, Partial,Seizure, Subclinical,Seizure, Uncinate,Seizures, Simple Partial,Seizures, Subclinical,Seizures, Uncinate,Simple Partial Epilepsies,Subclinical Seizures,Uncinate Seizure
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000293 Adolescent A person 13 to 18 years of age. Adolescence,Youth,Adolescents,Adolescents, Female,Adolescents, Male,Teenagers,Teens,Adolescent, Female,Adolescent, Male,Female Adolescent,Female Adolescents,Male Adolescent,Male Adolescents,Teen,Teenager,Youths
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D012640 Seizures Clinical or subclinical disturbances of cortical function due to a sudden, abnormal, excessive, and disorganized discharge of brain cells. Clinical manifestations include abnormal motor, sensory and psychic phenomena. Recurrent seizures are usually referred to as EPILEPSY or "seizure disorder." Absence Seizure,Absence Seizures,Atonic Absence Seizure,Atonic Seizure,Clonic Seizure,Complex Partial Seizure,Convulsion,Convulsions,Convulsive Seizure,Convulsive Seizures,Epileptic Seizure,Epileptic Seizures,Generalized Absence Seizure,Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures,Jacksonian Seizure,Myoclonic Seizure,Non-Epileptic Seizure,Nonepileptic Seizure,Partial Seizure,Seizure,Seizures, Convulsive,Seizures, Focal,Seizures, Generalized,Seizures, Motor,Seizures, Sensory,Tonic Clonic Seizure,Tonic Seizure,Tonic-Clonic Seizure,Atonic Absence Seizures,Atonic Seizures,Clonic Seizures,Complex Partial Seizures,Convulsion, Non-Epileptic,Generalized Absence Seizures,Myoclonic Seizures,Non-Epileptic Seizures,Nonepileptic Seizures,Partial Seizures,Petit Mal Convulsion,Seizures, Auditory,Seizures, Clonic,Seizures, Epileptic,Seizures, Gustatory,Seizures, Olfactory,Seizures, Somatosensory,Seizures, Tonic,Seizures, Tonic-Clonic,Seizures, Vertiginous,Seizures, Vestibular,Seizures, Visual,Single Seizure,Tonic Seizures,Tonic-Clonic Seizures,Absence Seizure, Atonic,Absence Seizure, Generalized,Absence Seizures, Atonic,Absence Seizures, Generalized,Auditory Seizure,Auditory Seizures,Clonic Seizure, Tonic,Clonic Seizures, Tonic,Convulsion, Non Epileptic,Convulsion, Petit Mal,Convulsions, Non-Epileptic,Focal Seizure,Focal Seizures,Generalized Seizure,Generalized Seizures,Generalized Tonic Clonic Seizures,Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizure,Gustatory Seizure,Gustatory Seizures,Motor Seizure,Motor Seizures,Non Epileptic Seizure,Non Epileptic Seizures,Non-Epileptic Convulsion,Non-Epileptic Convulsions,Olfactory Seizure,Olfactory Seizures,Partial Seizure, Complex,Partial Seizures, Complex,Seizure, Absence,Seizure, Atonic,Seizure, Atonic Absence,Seizure, Auditory,Seizure, Clonic,Seizure, Complex Partial,Seizure, Convulsive,Seizure, Epileptic,Seizure, Focal,Seizure, Generalized,Seizure, Generalized Absence,Seizure, Generalized Tonic-Clonic,Seizure, Gustatory,Seizure, Jacksonian,Seizure, Motor,Seizure, Myoclonic,Seizure, Non-Epileptic,Seizure, Nonepileptic,Seizure, Olfactory,Seizure, Partial,Seizure, Sensory,Seizure, Single,Seizure, Somatosensory,Seizure, Tonic,Seizure, Tonic Clonic,Seizure, Tonic-Clonic,Seizure, Vertiginous,Seizure, Vestibular,Seizure, Visual,Seizures, Generalized Tonic-Clonic,Seizures, Nonepileptic,Sensory Seizure,Sensory Seizures,Single Seizures,Somatosensory Seizure,Somatosensory Seizures,Tonic Clonic Seizures,Tonic-Clonic Seizure, Generalized,Tonic-Clonic Seizures, Generalized,Vertiginous Seizure,Vertiginous Seizures,Vestibular Seizure,Vestibular Seizures,Visual Seizure,Visual Seizures

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