The Effect of Traditional Chinese Mind-Body Exercise (Baduanjin) and Brisk Walking on the Dorsal Attention Network in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

A growing number of studies have shown that mind-body exercise is beneficial to cognitive function, especially memory, in elderly MCI patients. However, few studies have explored the effect of mind-body exercise on the attention of MCI population. We recruited 69 participants and divided them equally into Baduanjin, brisk walking (BWK) exercise or usual physical activity (UAP) control groups. The two exercise groups performed 60 min of exercise three times per week for 24 weeks. All subjects underwent whole-brain functional MRI and assessment of attentional abilities, including selective, divided, and sustained attention, and processing speed at baseline and after 24 weeks. The results show that: Baduanjin exercise significantly increased the selective attention of MCI patients, and Dorsal attention network (DAN) of Baduanjin exercise group exhibited functional connectivity decreased in right rolandic operculum (ROL. R), right middle temporal gyrus (MTG. R), right supramarginal inferior parietal, angular gyri (IPL. R), right precuneus (PCUN. R), and right fusiform gyrus (FFG. R) regions compared with the other two groups. The BWK exercise group had obviously functional connectivity increased in IPL. R and decreased in the MTG. R region compared to that in the UAP group. But no significant association between the changes of functional connectivity of DAN and the change of attentional ability test was observed. Thus, our data indicated Baduanjin exercise may be a potential beneficial intervention to improve the attention of the elderly with MCI. Further study with more samples is necessary to elucidate its imaging mechanism.

The Safety of Baduanjin Exercise: A Systematic Review

“…Of the 47 eligible studies, 8 evidently did not include controls [ 7 , 28 , 38 , 39 , 48 , 58 – 60 ], and 5 used more than two control groups [ 21 – 24 , 49 ]. Three studies used walking as a control [ 34 , 42 , 54 ], and other control measures used in single studies were muscle relaxation training [ 30 ], reading [ 6 ], physical therapy [ 19 ], and an aerobic exercise [ 43 ].…”

Effect of Baduanjin exercise on cognitive function in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial

“…10,11 Some studies recently reported that the Baduanjin exercise was beneficial in maintaining or even improving both global cognitive function and specific domains of cognition including memory processing speed, executive function, attention or verbal learning and memory in older adults with or without cognitive impairment. [12][13][14] Therefore, Baduanjin training may improve cognition in stroke survivors, but no randomized controlled trials have been published to investigate the effect of Baduanjin training on cognition among stroke survivors. Consequently, the primary aim of this study was to evaluate systematically the effect of a 24-week Baduanjin exercise programme on the cognitive function including globe cognitive function and specific domain of cognition, such as memory, attention, execution, processing speed and visuospatial ability in stroke patients with cognitive impairment.…”

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of Baduanjin exercise on cognition and memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment

“…Of these, 16 randomized controlled trials with 1054 participants were considered to be eligible for analysis. 13 –28 Three of these studies were not included in the meta-analysis. One study 13 had high heterogeneity (Montreal Cognitive Assessment-BJ), and some of its data (auditory verbal learning test) could not be merged.…”

“…A total of 10 studies 15,20 –28 with 709 patients assessed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-BJ scores at 2, 3, and 4 months of treatment. No significant heterogeneity was found among these studies ( P > 0.05, I 2 < 50%), so the fixed-effects model was used.…”