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Daily Yoga on Working Memory and Symptomology of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity

Poster Session B - Sunday, March 8, 2026, 8:00 – 10:00 am PDT, Fairview/Kitsilano Ballroom

Lilly Moody¹, Amy Jo Stavnezer², Grit Herzmann³; ¹College of Wooster

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) impacts a person’s executive functions, including self-control, selective attention, cognitive inhibition, and working memory. The symptoms associated with ADHD affect a person's daily life. As young adults transition into adulthood, ways of managing symptoms are crucial to improving quality of life. To examine yoga as a potential form of symptomatic regulation for ADHD in young adults, participants with ADHD took part in an eight-week Vinyasa yoga intervention. With a control group of ADHD participants completing a movement intervention. Pre- and post-tests included the 2-Back Task and Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (ASRS) to assess the impact of yoga on working memory. EEG measurements were taken of the P1, P3, N1, and N2 ERP components. In the post-test, the Yoga group demonstrated a significantly greater improvement in accuracy and response time of the 2-back task than the Movement group. Relative to the Movement group, where no impact on the N2 or P3 was found post-intervention, the Yoga group showed a larger N2 and P3 post-intervention, indicating that yoga, as opposed to movement, improved conflict monitoring and attentional resource control, respectively. Additionally, the Yoga group presented a lowered delay in the P1 component and higher amplitudes in the N2 component, suggesting increased attention compared to the Movement group. Participant responses post-intervention to ASRS suggest correlations with reduced ADHD symptomology. Higher ERP components in the N2 and P3 suggest a complex impact of yoga on participants' working memory.

Topic Area: EXECUTIVE PROCESSES: Working memory