Evidence-based yoga can aid clinical treatment of mental disorders, says expert

Dr B N Gangadhar, Scientist Chair, Ayush, speaks at Indian Academy of Neurosciences meet hosted by RGCB

Trivandrum / October 29, 2025

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 29: Highlighting that yoga can be leveraged in the treatment of mental disorders, Dr B N Gangadhar, Scientist Chair, Department of Ayush, today said evidence-based integration of yoga is possible in country’s clinical practice. 

Dr Gangadhar was delivering the Prof. B. K. Bachhawat Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award Lecture at the 43rd Annual Meeting of Indian Academy of Neurosciences (IAN), hosted by Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (BRIC-RGCB), at Kovalam here.

Speaking on ‘Neurobiological Evidence for Yoga in Depression’ at the four-day event, he said a curriculum needs to be developed for training and advance research about the benefits of yoga in the treatment of mental disorders like depression and schizophrenia.

“We need to impart training to mental health professionals to tap the potential of yoga. It is also vital to integrate and mainstream yoga in psychiatry service,” he pointed out. 

Dr Gangadhar, who was also former director of NIMHANS, Bengaluru, stressed the need for extending yoga biology research to other disorders.

“Going forward, we have to develop consensus in clinical practice guidelines for yoga. It would be riveting to examine yoga as monotherapy in select disorders,” he said.  

Noting that yoga reduces cortisol, he said most patients obtained a drop in cortisol by doing yoga along with medication. “Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels are low in depression and regular practice of yoga helps rise in plasma BDNF levels,” the expert added. 

In her keynote address on ‘Brain Mosaicism in Epilepsy and Cortical Malformations,’ Dr Stéphanie Baulac of Paris Brain Institute (ICM), France, gave a detailed presentation on the novel detection methods for brain somatic mutations (DNA sequence changes that occur after conception) in epilepsy.

Dr Baulac also spoke about the hidden genetics of epilepsies and brain mosaicism in neuro development and disease.   

The October 29-November 1 conference features top scientists and domain experts from leading institutions from India and abroad.

A host of research papers will also be presented at the symposium on all four days, mainly on themes including glia in brain development and disorders, mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disorders, memory systems and mechanisms, motor control and coordination, neural repair and regeneration, precision medicine in brain disorders, advances in neuroimaging and circuits, synapses and plasticity.

Ends