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. 2017;60(2):389-400.
doi: 10.3233/JAD-170477.

Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin Increase Grey Matter Volume in Older Adults: A Brain Imaging Study

Jing Tao  1   2   3 , Jiao Liu  1   2 , Weilin Liu  1   2 , Jia Huang  1   2 , Xiehua Xue  2   4 , Xiangli Chen  5 , Jinsong Wu  1 , Guohua Zheng  1 , Bai Chen  4 , Ming Li  4 , Sharon Sun  3 , Kristen Jorgenson  3 , Courtney Lang  3 , Kun Hu  1 , Shanjia Chen  1 , Lidian Chen  1   2 , Jian Kong  3
Affiliations

Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin Increase Grey Matter Volume in Older Adults: A Brain Imaging Study

Jing Tao et al. J Alzheimers Dis. 2017.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate and compare how 12-weeks of Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin exercise can modulate brain structure and memory function in older adults. Magnetic resonance imaging and memory function measurements (Wechsler Memory Scale-Chinese revised, WMS-CR) were applied at both the beginning and end of the study. Results showed that both Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin could significantly increase grey matter volume (GMV) in the insula, medial temporal lobe, and putamen after 12-weeks of exercise. No significant differences were observed in GMV between the Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin groups. We also found that compared to healthy controls, Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin significantly improved visual reproduction subscores on the WMS-CR. Baduanjin also improved mental control, recognition, touch, and comprehension memory subscores of the WMS-CR compared to the control group. Memory quotient and visual reproduction subscores were both associated with GMV increases in the putamen and hippocampus. Our results demonstrate the potential of Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin exercise for the prevention of memory deficits in older adults.

Keywords: Aging; Baduanjin; Tai Chi Chuan; memory; mind-body exercise; voxel-based morphometry.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure statement

All authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A. Increased gray matter volume in Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin groups compared with the control group. Red indicates increased GMV in the Tai Chi Chuan group compared with the control group after 12-weekof training; Yellow indicates increased GMV in theBaduanjin group compared with the control group after 12-weekof training. B. C.Scatter plots show thesignificant association between GMV increases and improvements in MQ scores and visual reproduction corrected for age, gender and education. L: left.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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