Tai chi helps boost memory, study finds. One type seems most beneficial

PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."A person with mild cognitive decline can expect to lose, on average, about a half point each year on the test, and once their score drops under 18, people experience quite a bit of impairment from memory loss and cognitive decline, Eckstrom explains.

So, based on these results, "if you're able to keep doing [tai chi] two or three days a week on a routine basis, you're going to get extra years before you hit that decline into dementia," she says.

Eckstrom and her collaborators also tested a more rigorous type of tai chi, called Cognitively Enhanced Tai Ji Quan, where they layered on extra challenges. For example, participants were asked to spell a word, backwards and forward, as they moved through a series of tai chi moves.

"You're really forcing your brain to think hard while you're also doing the fluid mind-body movements," Eckstrom explains.

The people who practice this type of cognitively enhanced tai chi improved their scores by about 3 points. "We've just given you six extra years of cognitive function," she says. "That's a lot."

Her theory on why tai chi is effective is that it combines the memorization of the movements, known as forms, almost like a dance choreography. "So, you're getting the physical activity, plus the memory piece," she says.

Dr. Joseph Quinn, a neurologist at Oregon Health & Science University, who was not involved in the study, says the results fit with a body of evidence, including ameta-analysis, showing the benefits of tai chi. "This has fascinated me," Quinn says, because the results are impressive, but "honestly, I don't understand why it works so well," he says."...