Effect of Short-term Yoga Training on Cervical and Ocular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Healthy Adults

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to assess the effect of practicing yoga on the functioning of sacculo-collic and utriculo-ocular pathways using cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potential (cVEMP and oVEMP). Methods: A total of 10 healthy young adults aged 20–25 years participated in the study. Audiological evaluation including pure-tone audiometry, immittance, and otoacoustic emission, cVEMP, and oVEMP was done to ensure a normal functioning audio-vestibular system. Short-term yoga training was provided for all the participants for 10 days, spanning over 2 weeks. It was 1 h/session/day. The latency and peak-to-peak amplitude of cVEMP and oVEMP responses were noted and analyzed before and after yoga training. Results: Paired sample t-test results showed significantly better peak-to-peak amplitude of both cVEMP and oVEMP after short-term yoga training in healthy individuals. The latency of both cVEMP and oVEMP peaks did not show a significant difference before and after yoga training. Conclusion: Short-term yoga training positively affected the functioning of sacculo-collic and utriculo-ocular pathways, leading to enhanced cVEMP and oVEMP responses.