TUESDAY, Oct. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Cognitively enhanced tai ji quan therapy is superior to standard tai ji quan and stretching exercise for community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or self-reported memory concerns, according to a study published online Oct. 31 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Fuzhong Li, Ph.D., from the Oregon Research Institute in Springfield, and colleagues compared the effectiveness of cognitively enhanced tai ji quan versus standard tai ji quan or stretching exercise for improving global cognition and reducing dual-task walking costs in 318 older adults with MCI or self-reported memory concerns. Participants were randomly assigned to cognitively enhanced tai ji quan, standard tai ji quan, or stretching (105, 107, and 106 individuals, respectively).

The researchers found that at 24 weeks, there was greater improvement in the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score with cognitively enhanced tai ji quan compared with standard tai ji quan and stretching (mean difference, 1.5 and 2.8 points, respectively); similar results were seen for dual-task walking (mean difference, 9.9 and 22 percent, respectively). At 48-week follow-up, the intervention effects persisted.

“The virtual, home-based intervention also had high intervention fidelity and adherence, and could be a feasible, acceptable exercise-based therapy for older adults with MCI,” the authors write.

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