Tai chi for mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review.

This article presents a systematic review of randomized controlled trial (RCT) to investigate the efficacy of Tai Chi (TC) for individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Chinese databases, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched from inception of the database until 7 February 2016. According to traditional Chinese medicine, TC, which encompasses breathing (chi) and physical movements, creates physical, emotional, and spiritual balance and enhances self-fulfillment and self-realization. Some studies found that aerobic exercise may increase Brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus and perihippocampal regions, which may be associated with the effect TC on cognition. This systematic review found that TC treatment has certain beneficial cognitive benefits for MCI.