Tai Chi can improve cognition in people with Parkinson’s, a study has found.
In a study of 95 people with early-stage Parkinson’s in China, one group of 32 practised Tai Chi, while another group of 31 did brisk walking. Both groups did these activities for one hour twice a week over the course of a year. A control group of 32 people with the condition did not exercise.
After six months, the Tai Chi group experienced lessened non-motor symptoms, including less daytime sleepiness, than the non-exercising control group. And after a year, the Tai Chi group was found to have improved cognition, as measured by the Parkinson’s disease cognitive rating scale, when compared to the non-exercising group.
“Enhanced brain network function, reduced inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers, and the chance of decreasing the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons to neurodegeneration might be the possible mechanisms of Tai Chi’s beneficial effects on non-motor symptoms,” the researchers from Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and other Shanghai-based medical institutes wrote in their study entitled Tai Chi Improves Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease: One-Year Randomized Controlled Study with the Investigation of Mechanisms. The report was published in the journal Parkinsonism & Related Disorders.
Tai Chi has previously been found to improve motor symptoms by improving balance and reducing falls, as well as improving gait and posture.
Parkinson’s Europe is sharing this article for information purposes only; it does not represent Parkinson’s Europe’s views and is not an endorsement by Parkinson’s Europe of any particular treatments, therapies or products.