In people with Parkinson's disease, 8 weeks of either meditation or yoga, compared to usual care, led to significant reductions in anxiety, motor symptoms, and chronic inflammation (measured by interleukin-6 levels), and improved health-related quality of life and the ability to describe experiences. Only meditation significantly reduced depressive symptoms and sustained the improvements in motor symptoms and quality of life at 6 months. The study involved 159 participants with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease who were randomly assigned to meditation, yoga, or a control group.
A trial will test whether individual mindfulness techniques—meditation or yoga—help Parkinson's disease patients manage anxiety and depression, which affect 40–50% of patients. Participants will be randomly assigned to meditation, yoga, or usual care for 8 weeks. The study measures anxiety, depression, motor and non-motor symptoms, quality of life, mindfulness, and stress biomarkers at baseline, 8 weeks, and 24 weeks. Qualitative interviews with 30 participants per intervention group will explore their experiences. The research aims to inform community-based, nurse-led compassionate care models for neurodegenerative conditions.