Eat Breathe Thrive: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of a yoga-based eating disorder intervention.

A growing body of evidence suggests that yoga-based interventions might aid in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. The current qualitative study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to analyze the nature and degree of impact of a yoga and mindfulness-based eating disorder prevention intervention Eat Breath Thrive (EBT). Data was collected via semi-structured interviews with 16 participants over the age of 18 who took part in the EBT program between 2018 and 2022. Using IPA methodology, and after several rounds of coding, emergent themes were interpreted and organized to develop a theoretical model explaining the mechanism of change experienced and described by EBT participants. The resulting model outlines an experiential progression from psychoeducation and skill development/practice to increased mindful awareness, and empowered state experiences which led to the following outcomes: independent positive action, self-initiated positive state experiences, and increased embodied well-being. Participants reported increased self-compassion and self-acceptance, with decreased emphasis on disordered eating behaviors. Qualitative data is necessary for understanding why yoga works, from an experiential perspective. This study adds to the new, and rapidly expanding body of research supporting the positive effects of yoga and mindfulness on the prevention and treatment of eating disorders.

Deletion of Calcineurin in Schwann Cells Does Not Affect Developmental Myelination, But Reduces Autophagy and Delays Myelin Clearance after Peripheral Nerve Injury.

In the PNS, myelination occurs postnatally when Schwann cells (SCs) contact axons. Axonal factors, such as Neuregulin-1 Type III, trigger promyelinating signals that upregulate myelin genes. Neuregulin-1 Type III has been proposed to activate calcineurin signaling in immature SCs to initiate differentiation and myelination. However, little is known about the role of calcineurin in promyelinating SCs after birth. By creating a SC conditional KO of calcineurin B (CnBscko), we assessed the effects of CnB ablation on peripheral myelination after birth in both male and female mice. Surprisingly, CnBscko mice have minimal myelination defects, no alteration of myelin thickness, and normal KROX20 expression. In contrast, we did find a unique role for calcineurin in SCs after nerve injury. Following nerve crush, CnBscko mice have slower degeneration of myelin compared with WT mice. Furthermore, absence of CnB in primary SCs delays clearance of myelin debris. SCs clear myelin via autophagy and recent literature has demonstrated that calcineurin can regulate autophagy via dephosphorylation of transcription factor EB (TFEB), a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy. We demonstrate that loss of CnB reduces autophagic flux in primary SCs, indicating a possible mechanism for impaired myelin clearance. In addition, ablation of CnB impairs TFEB translocation to the nucleus 3 d after crush, suggesting that calcineurin may regulate autophagy in SCs via TFEB activation. Together, our data indicate that calcineurin is not essential for myelination but has a novel role in myelin clearance after injury.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Our data offer a novel mechanism for activation of autophagy after peripheral nerve injury. Efficient clearance of myelin after injury by Schwann cells is important for axonal regrowth and remyelination, which is one reason why the PNS is significantly better at recovery compared with the CNS. Improved understanding of myelin clearance allows for the identification of pathways that are potentially accessible to increase myelin clearance and improve remyelination and recovery. Finally, this paper clarifies the role of calcineurin in Schwann cells and myelination.