Dementia is a term that covers many diseases that are usually chronic or progressive in nature. It is caused by neurodegeneration, or the loss of cells in the brain and the breakdown of important nerve connections. There are a variety of consequences associated with dementia, including behavioral changes, impaired memory and reasoning, and loss of the ability to perform daily activities that occur more rapidly than the normal aging process. The most common form of dementia is Alzheimer's disease, which accounts for 60-70% of dementia cases.
The social and economic impacts of dementia are numerous. In 2015, it was estimated that 48.7 million people worldwide were living with dementia, resulting in care-related costs of approximately US$818 billion (1.09% of global gross domestic product). 9 It is estimated that by 2030, 75 million people will have some form of dementia, with care costs of approximately US$2 trillion. While population-level health interventions are needed to improve the quality of life of people already diagnosed with dementia and, possibly, to improve short-term cognitive function in the early stages of the disease, individual interventions are needed. Evidence suggests that pharmacological interventions may have only limited benefits in reducing decline in daily living habits and may also cause undesirable side effects. In addition, clinical practice guidelines recommend starting with more cost-effective behavioral or psychological interventions before starting pharmacological interventions. Currently, the only evidence-based behavioral intervention that has been shown to improve short-term cognitive function is physical activity.
Tai Chi is a physical activity that includes cognitive, social, and meditative components and is currently gaining popularity and attracting much attention. It involves learning choreographed movement patterns that require visual-spatial skills, rapid information processing, and episodic memory. Tai Chi also increases heart rate and respiration, which helps create a wider network of connections between neurons, thus improving cerebral perfusion. Previous studies have suggested that Tai Chi is a safe and effective activity that improves physical balance and emotional well-being in non-disabled older adults. At the cognitive level, several studies suggest that Tai Chi interventions provide potentially beneficial effects, such as preserving or improving cognitive function and reducing the risk of developing dementia in the non-disabled older adult population. A systematic review comparing studies of Tai Chi with regular physical activity on the preservation of cognitive ability among healthy adults suggests that Tai Chi may be more effective than physical exercise alone for maintaining global cognitive skills.
Tai Chi and Dementia research demonstrates the potential effectiveness of Tai Chi in providing short-term improvements in cognitive function in the early stages of dementia.