Copyright © 2014 Moseon Lee et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background. Serotonin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are known to be modulators of nociception. However, painrelated
connection between yoga and those neuromodulators has not been investigated. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the effect
of yoga on pain, BDNF, and serotonin. Methods. Premenopausal women with chronic low back pain practiced yoga three times a
week for 12 weeks. At baseline and after 12 weeks, back pain intensity was measured using visual analogue scale (VAS), and serum
BDNF and serotonin levels were evaluated. Additionally, back flexibility and level of depression were assessed. Results. After 12-
week yoga, VAS decreased in the yoga group (