Memorizing Movements: How Tai Chi Can Improve Balance and Cognition

Tai Chi is not just for increasing balance; it may also help improve cognitive performance. In a recent randomized controlled trial, study participants who practiced a form of Tai Chi twice a week for six months improved their scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) when compared to a control group (Fuzhong et al, 2023). Older adults (N=304) with self-reported mild cognitive issues were recruited and divided into one control and two treatment groups. Every participant completed a baseline MoCA with an average score of 25. The control group performed basic stretching exercises. The first treatment group performed Tai ji quan, a gentle form of Tai Chi, and the third group performed cognitively enhanced Tai ji quan.

The cognitively enhanced group performed the exercises while being asked to spell a word and the spell it backwards while moving. No change in MoCA scores were observed in the control group. The first treatment group’s scores increased an average of 1.5 points, and the scores of the second group (cognitively enhanced Tai ji quan) increased and average of 3 points. In an interview with National Public Radio (NPR), one of the study’s authors equated a 1.5 increase in the MoCA to “three extra years of staving off decline.”

The authors believe that a possible explanation is that Tai Chi exercise, in particular, combines memorization of movements which combines muscle and mental activation.

References

Aubrey A. (2023) Tai chi helps boost memory, study finds. One type seems most beneficial. National Public Radio. (accessed November 7).

Li F, Harmer P, Eckstrom E, et al. (2023) Clinical effectiveness of cognitively enhanced Tai Ji Quan training on global cognition and dual-task performance during walking in older adults with mild cognitive impairment or self-reported memory concerns: a randomized controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. [Epub 31 October]. doi:10.7326/M23-1603