Long COVID affects working memory: assessment using a single rapid online test.

Mind-body therapies (MBTs) encompass a complex set of approaches with heterogenous origins in ancient cultures that focus on the communication between body and mind, and that involve cognitive-emotional, psycho-social, behavioral, and biophysical factors that affect our health (). Common MBTs include mindfulness mediation, guided imagery, tai chi, and yoga. In the past decades, emerging evidence-based research has started to unveil the physiological processes involved in MBTs; for example, activation of specific brain regions to elicit the relaxation response or the intersection with the immune system (; ). Among these, modulation of inflammation has been implicated as a mechanistic process contributing to the therapeutic effects of MBTs (). The subset of MBTs, such as yoga, tai chi, qigong, and other mindful movement practices, are unique in that they integrate both meditative/cognitive aspects together with a prominent movement/exercise component (). To highlight the relevance of the movement component in these practices, a new term has been coined: “mind-body movement therapies (MBMTs)”. While established research within the conventional sports medicine literature provides information on inflammation with physical exercise, and a smaller body of literature provides information regarding inflammatory processes with mediation, little is actually known regarding the dynamics of inflammatory mediators with integrated MBMT practice. In particular, the temporal cascade of inflammatory mediators after acute bouts or chronic MBMT practice are poorly understood (). Sports medicine research has made significant progress in characterizing the temporal trajectory of inflammatory mediators with physical exercise. These findings provide insight into the different short- and longer-term physiological effects of the physical component of MBMTs (e.g., involving myofascial and cardiopulmonary processes) in healthy adults (; ; ). One systematic review of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) exploring the effects of single bouts of acute exercise (e.g., running or cycling) on inflammatory mediators has shown systemic increases of specific cytokines, such as IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1, attributed to myofascial stress in healthy adults (). On the other hand, another systematic review of the longer-term (i.e., multiple bouts within several weeks) effects of exercise on systemic levels of inflammatory mediators found an overall reduction after several weeks (; ). While this bimodal response is well-established in sports medicine, we do not know whether these physiological changes of systemic inflammatory mediator levels are similar in short- and long-term MBMT interventions ().