NEW YORK -- The Sanskrit word "yoga" shares its roots with "yoke," as in the alignment of mind and body. Ongoing research at Weill Cornell Medical College is revealing the extent of yoga's capacity to fight an insidious neurodegenerative disease.

Claire Henchcliffe, assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and Neuroscience at Weill Cornell, has conducted pilot studies indicating that gentle yoga may assuage some of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, especially its cognitive dysfunctions such as depression, anxiety and fatigue.

Since meditation is known to increase the release of the vital brain protein striatal dopamine, Henchcliffe hypothesized that yoga also could drive up levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Existing exercise therapies for Parkinson's include t'ai chi, massage and acupuncture.

Ten one-week sessions of gentle stretching, breathing control and meditation seemed to have a positive impact on the study's participants, a subset carefully selected with a view toward their overall health. In interviews, participants reported increased energy, reduced stress, improved sleep, a reduction in stiffness and ongoing social support from others in the class -- an incidental but beneficial byproduct.

The study tentatively concludes that "energy yoga" is a safe exercise regimen in a carefully chosen, screened subset of patients with Parkinson's. "The time is ripe for definitive studies," Henchcliffe said.