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Experiencing the death of a loved one is inevitable for older adults. Before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, over 2.5 million people died annually in the United States, including 52,000 in Wisconsin alone, and COVID-19 has added to this toll. Each person who dies leaves an average of five grieving people behind. Most grieving older adults are resilient and recover their pre-loss functioning within one year. However, in about 10%, acute grief becomes protracted and debilitating, leading to the development of prolonged grief disorder (PGD), a clinically diagnosable mental health condition. PGD in older adults increases the risk for poorer medical, mental health, and cognitive outcomes; lower quality of life; disability; premature mortality; and suicide. Despite the magnitude of this problem, the neurobiology of PGD in older adults is poorly understood. By using Iyengar Yoga (IY) as a probe for PGD neurobiology, this pilot project aims to address this critical gap.
Our goal is to conduct a pilot study to examine in PGD the modulating effects of 10-week IY on circulating endocannabinoid and emotion processing brain circuit, and the associations between biological changes and clinical response.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iyengar Yoga | Experimental | Participants will engage in 10 weekly IY classes |
|
| Socialization Control | Active Comparator | Participants will engage in 10 weekly socialization control group sessions |
|
| Healthy Comparison Group | No Intervention | A group of participants will also be followed for 10 weeks |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iyengar Yoga | Other | Participation in Iyengar Yoga classes |
| |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in circulating endocannabinoid concentrations | Change in circulating endocannabinoids from baseline to post-intervention | 10 weeks |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Change in neural activity measured using Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) | Change in neural activity from baseline to post-intervention | 10 weeks |
| Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG) scale score change |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical College of Wisconsin | Wauwatosa | Wisconsin | 53226 | United States |
| PubMed Identifier | Type | Citation | Retractions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41444366 | Derived | Goveas JS, Hwang G, McAuliffe TL, Blair NP, Webber A, Claesges SA, Murphy LM, Chandler K, Reynolds CF, Hainsworth KR. Iyengar yoga and health education interventions for prolonged grief disorder in later life: feasibility of a randomized controlled pilot trial. Sci Rep. 2025 Dec 24;15(1):44604. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-28397-5. |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000090382 | Prolonged Grief Disorder |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000068099 | Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders |
| D001523 | Mental Disorders |
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| Socialization Control |
| Other |
Participation in socialization control group sessions |
|
ICG score ranges from 0 to 76 (higher scores indicate worse outcome)
| 10 weeks |