Original article from The National Institute of Aging
An innovative form of tai chi that combines mental puzzles and challenges with the traditional physical movements improved cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. The results of the NIA funded study were published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Tai chi is a “moving meditation” with origins in China that involves shifting the body slowly, gently, and precisely, while breathing deeply. A research team led by scientists at Oregon Research Institute built on previous studies showing that tai chi helped people with Parkinson’s disease improve balance and reduce fall risk.
In the new study, 304 participants age 65 and older with mild cognitive impairment were split into three groups to participate twice per week in a virtual exercise class in their homes for six months. One group did stretching exercises only; the second, a traditional form of tai chi; and the third, a cognitively enhanced tai chi program. For cognitively enhanced tai chi, instructors engage and challenge participants mentally during their physical movements, having them conduct tasks such as spelling out words forward and backward.
Both tai chi groups showed higher cognitive test score improvements compared to the stretching only group. The traditional tai chi group raised test scores by 1.5 points, and the cognitively enhanced tai chi group boosted their scores by nearly three points.
The tai chi groups also had higher scores on dual task walking tests than the stretching group. A dual task walking test measures how much a person’s
gait slows with shorter strides when they are performing two tasks at the same time. Slower dual task walking speed is being studied as a possible early warning of age-related cognitive changes. Investigators see these findings as promising evidence that tai chi, especially the cognitively enhanced version, can be an affordable intervention option for people with mild cognitive impairment.
They note that the study did not include a control group of non-exercisers but hope to incorporate this in future, expanded studies.
This research was supported by NIA grant R01AG059546.
