Alzheimers Dementia: Regular Tai Chi may improve cognitive decline

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an important clinical stage before the onset of dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease (AD)
.

It occurs before Alzheimer's disease, and 50% of MCI patients (about 12% per year) will develop Alzheimer's disease within the following 4 to 5 years

Delaying cognitive decline in MCI may help reduce new AD cases and reduce spending on care and dementia treatment
.

Drugs to treat AD are generally not available for patients with MCI due to the limited preventive effect recommended by guidelines (eg, cholinesterase inhibitors are only available off-label in the United States; no evidence in Austria and Germany), and nonpharmacological interventions are very rare.

Guidelines for Prevention

Currently, the main nonpharmacological interventions for MCI include cognitive training, physical exercise, dietary modifications, and stimulation techniques
.

An early large-scale randomized trial (the Independent and Active Elderly Advanced Cognitive Training Study) had three modes of cognitive training: processing speed, memory, and reasoning

The meta-analysis showed that computerized cognitive training had a positive effect on overall cognition, selected cognitive domains, and psychosocial functioning in patients with MCI
.

Usability barriers for digital applications will be a problem if users have cognitive or perceptual impairments

In terms of physical exercise, the traditional Chinese physical and mental exercise--Taijiquan has also shown an intervention effect on MCI
.

It is a gentle psychophysiological exercise that is suitable for the elderly and safe

With this, Chen Shengdi's team from Ruijin Hospital of Shanghai Jiaotong University conducted a prospective clinical trial, recruited MCI patients, and divided them into three groups: cognitive training (CT) group, Tai Chi and cognitive training (MixT) group and control group
.

Ruijin Hospital

(1) They explored immediate effects after the first 12 months of training
.

What they found: During the first 12 months, both the MixT group and the CT group benefited from the training
.

MixT had an additional positive effect on baseline compared to the CT group
.

MixT had an additional positive effect on baseline compared to the CT group
.

Furthermore, prolonged mixed training further delayed the decline in overall cognition and memory compared to short training sessions
.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging showed more increased regional activity in CT and MixT
.

The significance of this study lies in the finding that Tai Chi enhanced the cognitive training effect of MCI
.

In addition, tai chi and cognitive hybrid training have been shown to delay cognitive decline

Tai Chi enhances the cognitive training effect of MCI
.
In addition, tai chi and cognitive hybrid training have been shown to delay cognitive decline
.

Original source:
Li B, Tang H, He G, et al .
Tai Chi enhances cognitive training effects on delaying cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment.
Alzheimer's & Dementia .
Published online March 15, 2022:alz.
12658.
doi:10.
1002/alz .
12658

.
Tai Chi enhances cognitive training effects on delaying cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment.
Alzheimer's & Dementia

 

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