The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan in Older Adults

Lithuanian Sports University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cognitive Function; Motor Learning; Healthy Aging

Treatments: Other: Tai Chi Chuan trainings

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04690244

LithuanianSportsU-4

Details and patient eligibility

About

30 healthy older participants were enrolled in the study and were randomly classified into two groups. In the experimental group (n = 15) participants received 10-week Tai Chi Chuan practice intervention, in the control group (n=15) participants were asked do not change their living habits in 10 weeks. All participants had no practice Tai Chi Chuan before.

Full description

All participants had to proceed with familiarization with cognitive function tests before all measurements and evaluation. Study protocol began in the early morning after overnight fasting (10.7 ± 4.7 h). Firstly, participants were asked to lay in the supine position for 15 minutes in rest to measure resting heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) during the last 10 minutes and blood pressure afterward. Subsequently, participants completed PSS-10 and HADS questionnaires, and then a venous blood sample was taken for BDNF and irisin concentrations measurements. Then measurements of cognitive functions and motor learning were performed. After baseline assessments, participants were randomized to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group subjects (n=15; 13 women) participated in 10 weeks Tai Chi practice. In the control group, participants (n=15; 13 women) were instructed do not to engage in any additional sports practice. All tests and measurements were repeated after 10 weeks in the same order as it was at the beginning of the study.

Enrollment: 30 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60 to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• age from 60 years old;
• voluntary participation in the study;
• does not have chronic diseases or injuries that may affect physical activity,
• does not have physical and mental disorders;
• has no hearing impairment;
• does not smoke;
• does not use psychotropic substances;
• pulse from 40 to 100 beats per minute at rest;
• impaired or corrected vision;
• blood pressure up to 139/89 mmHg at rest;
• never had practice of Tai Chi Chuan

Exclusion criteria

• persons suffering from: mental, oncological, cardiovascular, skeletal, muscular, respiratory disorders or diseases after physical exhaustion will not be invited to the study;
• after surgery; injuries (in last 3 years);
• contraindications to physical activity.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

Tai Chi Chuan group

Experimental group

Description:

Fifteen healthy elderly subjects participated in 10 weeks of Tai Chi Chuan practice. Inclusion criteria were: * aged 60 years and older; * sedentary behavior for at least 6 months; * no previous experience of Tai Chi Chuan practice; * good physical health determined by Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire as - confirmed by medical history; * no cognitive impairments determined by baseline Mini-Mental State Examination score of ≥ 45. All participants were asked to not perform any sports activities while the research was ongoing.

Treatment:

Other: Tai Chi Chuan trainings

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

In the control group, fifteen subjects also had to meet the same criteria and did not perform any exercises or make changes in their daily living life.