Summary
A recent study in China examined the usefulness of tai chi, a Chinese mind-body exercise, in retarding the process of mental deterioration in old age. Participants included individuals who had just started developing the symptoms of dementia. Participants were divided into two groups. One group performed tai chi exercises while the other one performed stretching exercises. Significant improvements in various components of cognition were observed in both study groups. “Our findings showed that Chinese style mind-body (tai chi) exercise may offer specific benefits to cognition.”
Health Poll
Loading ...Introduction
Dementia and cognitive deterioration are on the rise in recent years. This is because of improvements in healthcare facilities that have allowed people to survive many years after their retirement. Many earlier studies have shown that, physical activity can delay the onset of forgetfulness in old age. But very few studies have aimed to identify the specific form of physical activity which produces such beneficial effects. Tai chi exercise incorporates a lot of attention, postural control, movement of limbs and reciting of verses. This study was performed to learn whether Tai Chi exercise is superior in any way to regular stretching exercises in preventing dementia.
Methodology
* The study included 389 participants aged over 65 years. All of them had mild symptoms of memory loss. People who had already developed dementia and those who were regularly performing tai chi exercise were excluded from the study.
* Experts in tai chi extensively trained 171 participants for eight to 12 weeks. After this, participants were given DVDs and were asked to perform tai chi exercises at home. All of them performed the exercises for at least 30 minutes per day. Participants in the control group were asked to perform routine stretching exercises.
* Forgetfulness, memory, mood, psychiatric disturbances and postural balance were assessed using various assessment scales, at the beginning of the study and at two months after the conclusion of the training.
Results
* Baseline assessment of cognitive functions showed that both the groups were comparable, except for a slightly better performance of the tai chi group in some of the memory tests.
* Two months after the completion of training, participants in both the groups showed an improvement in most of the cognitive functions.
* Symptoms of dementia developed in 21 participants in the control group and 3 participants in the tai chi group at follow-up after two months.
* Significant improvement in postural balance was observed in the tai chi group.
Shortcomings/Next steps
Using the same tests for assessing cognition repeatedly can lead to an improved performance without any intervention, because participants become familiar with these tests. This implies that a new type of test be used every time to assess cognition capacity. Tai chi exercise involves 24 forms of maneuvers. It is necessary to identify which one of them has maximum effects on cognition.
Conclusion
This study has shown that physical activity improves overall cognition in aging individuals. The development of dementia is lowered in people who practice tai chi exercises regularly compared to those who perform routine stretching exercises. This might be because of the higher utilization of cognitive facilities such as attention, coordination and integration among language and motor functions. A significant improvement in postural balance was observed in the tai chi group. This study has proved that, in order to reduce the deterioration of dementia, other interventions such as tai chi exercises are also needed, in addition to drugs. These exercises might be also useful in preventing the development of age-related forgetfulness. Further follow-up of participants is necessary to confirm these findings and also to identify the additional beneficial effects of tai chi exercises.
For More Information:
Interim Follow-Up of a Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Chinese Style Mind Body (Tai Chi) and Stretching Exercises on Cognitive Function in Subjects at Risk of Progressive Cognitive Decline
Publication Journal: International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, December 2010
By Linda CW Lam; Rachel CM Chau; Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
*FYI Living Lab Reports Are Summaries of the Original Research.
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