{"id":8581,"date":"2012-11-29T15:32:36","date_gmt":"2012-11-29T20:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=8581"},"modified":"2012-11-29T15:32:36","modified_gmt":"2012-11-29T20:32:36","slug":"tai-chi-increasing-brain-size-and-delaying-alzheimers-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yang-sheng.com\/?p=8581","title":{"rendered":"Tai Chi: Increasing Brain Size and Delaying Alzheimer’s Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Tai Chi Examiner<\/a>]<\/h3>\n

Tai Chi: Increasing Brain Size and Delaying Alzheimer’s Disease<\/span><\/h1>\n

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photo courtesy of http:\/\/firstdescents.org<\/p><\/div>\n

In a study recently published by the Journal of Alzheimer\u2019s Disease, it shows that in a clinical trial, Tai Chi was proven that it actually helped seniors to grow their brain size. Improvements also were observed in several neuropsychological measures, which are indicative that the onset of the Alzheimer\u2019s disease may be delayed with Tai Chi practice.<\/h3>\n

Supported by a grant from the Johnnie B. Byrd, Sr. Alzheimer\u2019s Center & Research Institute,<\/a> Professor James Mortimer<\/a> of University of South Florida (USF) and seven other scientists from the USF, Fudan University (Shanghai, China) and University of California-Davis completed this Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) Changes in Brain Volume and Cognition in a Randomized Trial of Exercise and Social Interaction in a Community-Based Sample of Non-Demented Chinese Elders<\/a> and reached these exciting conclusions.<\/h3>\n

A representative sample of 120 non-demented, aged 60 \u2013 79, selected from the same district in Shanghai was randomized to four groups (Tai Chi, Walking, Social Interaction and No Intervention) for 40 weeks. One of the exclusion criteria is that participants could not have prior Tai Chi experience. Two MRIs were obtained for each participant, one before the intervention period, one after. A neuropsychological battery was administered at baseline, 20 weeks and 40 weeks. Each Tai Chi session included 20 min of warm-up exercises (lower back and hamstring stretching, gentle calisthenics, and balance training), 20 min of Tai Chi practice, and 10 min of cool-down exercises. Each Walking session consisted of 10 min of warm-up stretching, 30 min of brisk walking, and 10 min of cool-down exercises.\u00a0 The Social Interaction session included one-hour discussion on topics chosen by the participants. Each group met three times a week.\u00a0 The No Intervention group got phone calls four times during the 40 weeks from a study coordinator.<\/h3>\n

MRI data collected in Shanghai were transmitted to Dr. DeCarli\u2019s laboratory at UC-Davis for analysis. As expected, the No Intervention group\u2019s brain size shrank as an average person in his 60\u2019s or 70\u2019s. The Walking group\u2019s brain shrank as well, except not as severe.\u00a0 The Social Interaction group\u2019s brain size grew, but not as significantly as the Tai Chi group\u2019s growth.<\/h3>\n

The Mattis Dementia Rating Scale is designed to measure and track mental status in adults with cognitive health.\u00a0 While the No Intervention and the Walking groups had no change in this scale and Social Interaction had some improvement, Tai Chi group enjoyed a significant improvement.<\/h3>\n

The Trail-making tests are neuropsychological test<\/a>s of visual attention<\/a> and task switching<\/a>. It can provide information about the speeds of visual search, scanning and processing, mental flexibility, as well as executive functioning. It is used to detect several cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer’s Disease<\/a> and Dementia<\/a>. After 40 weeks, the No Intervention group took more time to complete the task, both Social Interaction and Walking had no change in time and Tai Chi group became \u201csharper\u201d and used less time.<\/h3>\n

The Tai Chi group registered improvements in other evaluations, including the Auditory Verbal Learning Test, the Verbal fluency Test, the Initiation score, Attention score and Memory score.<\/h3>\n

Dr. Mortimer said that Tai Chi, which has been described as a type of moving meditation, requires continuous and sustained attention to maintain posture. The higher level of intellectual involvement in this activity in comparison to walking around a circular course may have been a factor in leading to the disparity of the two groups\u2019 result. This result is consistent with early research conducted by Stanford University, which shows that regular aerobic exercise does not provide the same benefits as Tai Chi to combat memory loss.<\/h3>\n

The Journal of Alzheimer\u2019s Disease is an international multidisciplinary journal to facilitate progress in understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genetics, behavior, treatment and psychology of Alzheimer\u2019s Disease. It is the authority on the disease and ranked the 24th<\/sup> on the Top 100 medical journal list.<\/h3>\n

Violet Li is an award winning journalist, certified Tai Chi instructor, certified Heart Zone Trainer, an Indoor Disciple of Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei and a 12th Generation of Chen Stye Tai Chi Inheritor. She has taught Tai Chi, Qigong, and other fitness programs to various groups.\u00a0NBC of St. Louis featured one of her classes in \u201c100 Year Old Tai Chi Artist\u201d.\u00a0Her passion for Tai Chi, Qigong and fitness motivates her to write articles on the related events, people, theories, techniques, practices, and health benefits. Ms. Li writes regularly for the St. Louis Tai Chi Examiner and the National Tai Chi Examiner, and has readership from over 45 different countries. Please contact her at <\/span>violet.li@tadi.com<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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