Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin Mind-Body Training Changes Resting-State Low-Frequency Fluctuations in the Frontal Lobe of Older Adults: A Resting-State fMRI Study.

Author: Tao J1,2,3, Chen X4, Liu J1, Egorova N3, Xue X5, Liu W1,2, Zheng G1, Li M5, Wu J1, Hu K1, Wang Z3,6, Chen L1,2, Kong J3
Affiliation:
1College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
2Fujian Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation Technology, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
3Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States.
4Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.
5Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China.
6Developmental and Educational Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
Conference/Journal: Front Hum Neurosci.
Date published: 2017 Oct 30
Other: Volume ID: 11 , Pages: 514 , Special Notes: doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00514. eCollection 2017. , Word Count: 233


Age-related cognitive decline is a significant public health concern. Recently, non-pharmacological methods, such as physical activity and mental training practices, have emerged as promising low-cost methods to slow the progression of age-related memory decline. In this study, we investigated if Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) and Baduanjin modulated the fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) in different frequency bands (low-frequency: 0.01-0.08 Hz; slow-5: 0.01-0.027 Hz; slow-4: 0.027-0.073 Hz) and improved memory function. Older adults were recruited for the randomized study. Participants in the TCC and Baduanjin groups received 12 weeks of training (1 h/day for 5 days/week). Participants in the control group received basic health education. Each subject participated in memory tests and fMRI scans at the beginning and end of the experiment. We found that compared to the control group: (1) TCC and Baduanjin groups demonstrated significant improvements in memory function; (2) TCC increased fALFF in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in the slow-5 and low-frequency bands; and (3) Baduanjin increased fALFF in the medial PFC in the slow-5 and low-frequency bands. This increase was positively associated with memory function improvement in the slow-5 and low-frequency bands across the TCC and Baduanjin groups. Our results suggest that TCC and Baduanjin may work through different brain mechanisms to prevent memory decline due to aging.

KEYWORDS: aging; fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF); frequency bands; memory; mind-body exercise; resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)

PMID: 29163096 PMCID: PMC5670503 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00514

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