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

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Tao, Jing^{a; b; c} | Liu, Jiao^{a; b} | Liu, Weilin^{a; b} | Huang, Jia^{a; b} | Xue, Xiehua^{b; d} | Chen, Xiangli^e | Wu, Jinsong^a | Zheng, Guohua^a | Chen, Bai^d | Li, Ming^d | Sun, Sharon^c | Jorgenson, Kristen^c | Lang, Courtney^c | Hu, Kun^a | Chen, Shanjia^a | Chen, Lidian^{a; b; *} | Kong, Jian^{c; *}

Affiliations: [a] College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China | [b] Fujian Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation Technology, Fuzhou, China | [c] Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA | [d] Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China | [e] Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Li-Dian Chen, College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1 Huatuo Road, MinhouShangjie, Fuzhou, Fujian 350122, P.R. China. Tel.: +86 591 22861985; Fax: +86 591 22861985; E-mail: cld@fjtcm.edu.cn and Jian Kong, Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA. Tel.: +1 617 726 7893; Fax: +1 617 643 7340; E-mail: kongj@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.

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, memory, mind-body exercise, Tai Chi Chuan, voxel-based morphometry

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-170477

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 389-400, 2017