Effects and mechanisms of Tai Chi on mild cognitive impairment and early-stage dementia: a scoping review

Abstract

Background Dementia is associated with cognitive and functional decline that significantly impacts quality of life. There is currently no cure for dementia, thus, it is important to manage dementia in the early stages and delay deterioration. Previous studies have documented a range of health benefits of Tai Chi in people with early-stage dementia, however, none have systematically integrated these effects with their underlying mechanisms. The aims of this study were to (1) identify the neurocognitive, psychological, and physical health benefits of Tai Chi oi people with early-stage dementia, and (2) explore the underlying mechanisms of these effects. Methods We searched systematic reviews (SRs) and randomised control trials (RCTs) on Tai Chi for adults aged 50 years and older with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or early-stage dementia in MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and major Chinese databases. No language or publication restrictions were applied. Risk of bias was assessed. Results Eight SRs with meta-analyses and 6 additional published RCTs revealed inconsistent findings of Tai Chi on improving global cognitive function, attention and executive function, memory and language, and perceptual-motor function. There was no significant between-group difference in depressive symptoms. The results from the RCTs showed that Tai Chi can reduce arthritis pain and slow the progress of dementia. No studies on MCI or early-stage dementia investigating the underlying mechanisms of Tai Chi were identified. Instead, nine mechanistic studies on healthy adults were included. These suggested that Tai Chi may improve memory and cognition via increased regional brain activity, large-scale network functional connectivity, and regional grey matter volume. Conclusion The effects of Tai Chi on neurocognitive outcomes in people with MCI and early-stage dementia are still inconclusive. Further high-quality clinical trials and mechanistic studies are needed to understand if and how Tai Chi may be applied as a successful intervention to delay deterioration and improve the quality of life in people with an increased risk of cognitive decline.

A bibliometric analysis on the health behaviors related to mild cognitive impairment

“…Sustaining a healthy lifestyle, which includes healthy dietary habits, regular physical activity, active social involvement, engaging in positive cognitive activities, avoiding smoking or quitting smoking, and refraining from alcohol consumption, can postpone memory decline, even in the presence of genetic risk factors like the APOE ε4 genotype (Jia et al, 2023). Furthermore, traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture are gaining recognition (Yee et al, 2018;Xue H. et al, 2023), with studies indicating that practices such as Tai Chi (Jasim et al, 2023;Xue H. et al, 2023;Chen et al, 2024), acupoint massage (Sun et al, 2021), and other traditional Chinese health behaviors can effectively deter cognitive decline.…”

Can Physical Exercise Be Considered as a Promising Enhancer of Global Cognition in People with Parkinson’s Disease? Results of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Also, due to the small number of studies no conclusions can be drawn on any differential effects between the various physical exercise types (e.g., gait/balance vs. endurance vs. resistance training) and exercise intensities. Besides, there is still lack of evidence of exercise types that may have the potential to strengthen cognition (e.g., Tai chi [48]). Once sufficient evidence is available for the effects on cognition of different types of physical exercise for people with PD, network-metaanalyses will be able to inform about the superiority of specific intervention approaches.…”