EFFECTS OF TAI CHI EXERCIE ON ATTENTION IN HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS AS MEASURED BY NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY DURING THE STROOP TASK

Abstract

Background: To our knowledge，there is no study that has examined the effect of Tai Chi exercise(Tai Chi) on attention function using functional brain imaging methodologies. Recent developments in near-infrared spectroscopy(NIRS) have enabled non-invasive clarification of brain functions by measurement of hemoglobin concentrations as cerebral blood volume. So, in the present study, we examined the effects of Tai Chi in the healthy elderly as measured by NIRS during the Stroop task. Methods: Twelve healthy elderly subjects participated in the present study after giving consent. The relative concentrations of oxyhemoglobin(oxy-Hb) were measured with frontal probes every 0.1 sec during the Stroop color-word task, using 24-channel NIRS machines. Results: The Stroop task scores after the Tai Chi term were significantly higher than those before the Tai Chi term. There were no significant differences in the mean oxy-Hb changes between the conditions before and after Tai Chi. Conclusions: Our study suggested that Tai Chi promoted attention function in healthy elderly subjects, and maintained oxy-Hb concentration changes in healthy elderly subjects.