title: Increased Hippocampus-Medial Prefrontal Cortex Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Memory Function after Tai Chi Chuan Practice in Elder Adults.
abstract: Previous studies provide evidence that aging is associated with the decline of memory function and alterations in the hippocampal (HPC) function, including functional connectivity to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In this study, we investigated if longitudinal (12-week) Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin practice can improve memory function and modulate HPC resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC). Memory function measurements and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) were applied at the beginning and the end of the experiment. The results showed that (1) the memory quotient (MQ) measured by the Wechsler Memory Scale-Chinese Revision significantly increased after Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin practice as compared with the control group, and no significant difference was observed in MQ between the Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin groups; (2) rs-FC between the bilateral hippocampus and mPFC significantly increased in the Tai Chi Chuan group compared to the control group (also in the Baduanjin group compared to the control group, albeit at a lower threshold), and no significant difference between the Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin groups was observed; (3) rs-FC increases between the bilateral hippocampus and mPFC were significantly associated with corresponding memory function improvement across all subjects. Similar results were observed using the left or right hippocampus as seeds. Our results suggest that both Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin may be effective exercises to prevent memory decline during aging.
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation of Technology, Fuzhou, China; Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Fuzhou , China.
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA , USA.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Egorova
authors.affiliation: The School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh , Edinburgh , UK.
authors.forename: Xiangli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA , USA.
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Affiliated Rehabilitation Hospital, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Fuzhou , China.
authors.forename: Xiehua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation of Technology, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Fuzhou , China.
authors.forename: Guohua
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine , Fuzhou , China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Rehabilitation Medicine, Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Fuzhou, China; Fujian Key Laboratory of Rehabilitation of Technology, Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Lidian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School , Boston, MA , USA.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kong
keywords: Baduanjin exercise; Tai Chi Chuan exercise; aging; hippocampus; medial prefrontal cortex; memory function