***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Background —Tai Chi Chuan ( TTC ) exercise has beneficial effects on the components of physical condition and can produce a substantial reduction in the risk of multiple falls . Previous studies have shown that short term TCC exercise did not improve the scores in the single leg stance test with eyes closed and the sit and reach test . There has apparently been no research into the effects of TCC on total body rotation flexibility and heart rate responses at rest and after a three minute step test . Methods —In this cross sectional study , 28 male TCC practitioners with an average age of 67.5 years old and 13.2 years of TCC exercise experience were recruited to form the TCC group . Another 30 sedentary men aged 66.2 were selected to serve as the control group . Measurements included resting heart rate , left and right single leg stance with eyes closed , modified sit and reach test , total body rotation test ( left and right ) , and a three minute step test . Results —Compared with the sedentary group , the TCC group had significantly better scores in resting heart rate , three minute step test heart rate , modified sit and reach , total body rotation test on both right and left side ( p<0.01 ) , and both right and left leg st and ing with eyes closed ( p<0.05 ) . According to the American Fitness St and ards , the TCC group attained the 90th percentile rank for sit and reach and total body rotation test , right and left . Conclusion —Long term regular TCC exercise has favourable effects on the promotion of balance control , flexibility , and cardiovascular fitness in older adults Physical exercise has been shown to increase brain volume and improve cognition in r and omized trials of non-demented elderly . Although greater social engagement was found to reduce dementia risk in observational studies , r and omized trials of social interventions have not been reported . A representative sample of 120 elderly from Shanghai , China was r and omized to four groups ( Tai Chi , Walking , Social Interaction , No Intervention ) for 40 weeks . Two MRIs were obtained , one before the intervention period , the other after . A neuropsychological battery was administered at baseline , 20 weeks , and 40 weeks . Comparison of changes in brain volumes in intervention groups with the No Intervention group were assessed by t-tests . Time-intervention group interactions for neuropsychological measures were evaluated with repeated- measures mixed models . Compared to the No Intervention group , significant increases in brain volume were seen in the Tai Chi and Social Intervention groups ( p < 0.05 ) . Improvements also were observed in several neuropsychological measures in the Tai Chi group , including the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale score ( p = 0.004 ) , the Trailmaking Test A ( p = 0.002 ) and B ( p = 0.0002 ) , the Auditory Verbal Learning Test ( p = 0.009 ) , and verbal fluency for animals ( p = 0.01 ) . The Social Interaction group showed improvement on some , but fewer neuropsychological indices . No differences were observed between the Walking and No Intervention groups . The findings differ from previous clinical trials in showing increases in brain volume and improvements in cognition with a largely non-aerobic exercise ( Tai Chi ) . In addition , intellectual stimulation through social interaction was associated with increases in brain volume as well as with some cognitive improvements Background . Effects of Tai Chi ( TC ) on specific cognitive function and mechanisms by which TC may improve cognition in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment ( a-MCI ) remain unknown . Objective . To examine the effects of TC on cognitive functions and plasma biomarkers ( brain-derived neurotrophic factor [ BDNF ] , tumor necrosis factor-α [ TNF-α ] , and interleukin-10 [ IL-10 ] ) in a-MCI . Methods . A total of 66 older adults with a-MCI ( mean age = 67.9 years ) were r and omized to either a TC ( n = 33 ) or a control group ( n = 33 ) . Participants in the TC group learned TC with a certified instructor and then practice d at home for 50 min/session , 3 times/wk for 6 months . The control group received educational material that covered information related to cognition . The primary outcome was cognitive performance , including Logical Memory ( LM ) delayed recall , Block Design , Digit Span , and Trail Making Test B minus A ( TMT B-A ) . The secondary outcomes were plasma biomarkers , including BDNF , TNF-α , and IL-10 . Results . At the end of the trial , performance on the LM and TMT B-A was significantly better in the TC group compared with the control group after adjusting for age , gender , and education ( P < .05 ) . Plasma BDNF level was significantly increased for the TC group , whereas the other outcome measures were similar between the 2 groups after adjusting for age and gender ( P < .05 ) . Conclusions . TC training significantly improved memory and the mental switching component of executive function in older adults with a-MCI , possibly via an upregulation of BDNF BACKGROUND Nearly two-thirds of elderly patients treated for depression fail to achieve symptomatic remission and functional recovery with first-line pharmacotherapy . In this study , we ask whether a mind-body exercise , Tai Chi Chih ( TCC ) , added to escitalopram will augment the treatment of geriatric depression design ed to achieve symptomatic remission and improvements in health functioning and cognitive performance . METHODS : One hundred twelve older adults with major depression age 60 years and older were recruited and treated with escitalopram for approximately 4 weeks . Seventy-three partial responders to escitalopram continued to receive escitalopram daily and were r and omly assigned to 10 weeks of adjunct use of either 1 ) TCC for 2 hours per week or 2 ) health education ( HE ) for 2 hours per week . All participants underwent evaluations of depression , anxiety , resilience , health-related quality of life , cognition , and inflammation at baseline and during 14-week follow-up . RESULTS Subjects in the escitalopram and TCC condition were more likely to show greater reduction of depressive symptoms and to achieve a depression remission as compared with those receiving escitalopram and HE . Subjects in the escitalopram and TCC condition also showed significantly greater improvements in 36-Item Short Form Health Survey physical functioning and cognitive tests and a decline in the inflammatory marker , C-reactive protein , compared with the control group . CONCLUSION : Complementary use of a mind-body exercise , such as TCC , may provide additional improvements of clinical outcomes in the pharmacologic treatment of geriatric depression OBJECTIVES We reported the interim findings of a r and omized controlled trial ( RCT ) to examine the effects of a mind body physical exercise ( Tai Chi ) on cognitive function in Chinese subjects at risk of cognitive decline . SUBJECTS 389 Chinese older persons with either a Clinical Dementia Rating ( CDR 0.5 ) or amnestic-MCI participated in an exercise program . The exercise intervention lasted for 1 year ; 171 subjects were trained with 24 forms simplified Tai Chi ( Intervention , I ) and 218 were trained with stretching and toning exercise ( Control , C ) . The exercise comprised of advised exercise sessions of at least three times per week . RESULTS At 5th months ( 2 months after completion of training ) , both I and C subjects showed an improvement in global cognitive function , delayed recall and subjective cognitive complaints ( paired t-tests , p < 0.05 ) . Improvements in visual spans and CDR sum of boxes scores were observed in I group ( paired t-tests , p < 0.001 ) . Three ( 2.2 % ) and 21(10.8 % ) subjects from the I and C groups progressed to dementia ( Pearson chi square = 8.71 , OR = 5.34 , 95 % CI 1.56 - 18.29 ) . Logistic regression analysis controlled for baseline group differences in education and cognitive function suggested I group was associated with stable CDR ( OR = 0.14 , 95%CI = 0.03 - 0.71 , p = 0.02 ) . CONCLUSIONS Our interim findings showed that Chinese style mind body ( Tai Chi ) exercise may offer specific benefits to cognition , potential clinical interests should be further explored with longer observation period OBJECTIVE It was hypothesized that a combined Taoist Tai Chi ( TTC ) and a memory intervention program ( MIP ) would be superior to a MIP alone in improving everyday memory behaviors in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment ( aMCI ) . A secondary hypothesis was that TTC would improve cognition , self-reported health status , gait , and balance . METHOD A total of 48 individuals were r and omly assigned to take part in MIP + TTC or MIP alone . The TTC intervention consisted of twenty 90 min sessions . Outcome measures were given at baseline , and after 10 and 22 weeks . RESULTS Both groups significantly increased their memory strategy knowledge and use , ratings of physical health , processing speed , everyday memory , and visual attention . No preferential benefit was found for individuals in the MIP + TTC group on cognition , gait , or balance measures . CONCLUSIONS Contrary to expectations , TTC exercise did not specifically improve cognition or physical mobility . Explanations for null findings are explored Objective To evaluate the effects of Tai chi exercise on balance , sleep quality , and cognitive performance in community-dwelling elderly in Vinh city , Vietnam . Design A r and omized controlled trial . Participants One hundred two subjects were recruited . Intervention Subjects were divided r and omly into two groups . The Tai chi group was assigned 6 months ’ Tai chi training . The control group was instructed to maintain their routine daily activities . Outcome measures The Falls Efficacy Scale ( FES ) , Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index ( PSQI ) , and Trail Making Test ( TMT ) were used as primary outcome measures . Results Participants in the Tai chi group reported significant improvement in TMT ( part A ) ( F [ 1 , 71 ] = 78.37 , P < 0.001 ) and in TMT ( part B ) , ( F [ 1 , 71 ] = 175.00 , P < 0.001 ) in comparison with the control group . Tai chi participants also reported better scores in FES ( F [ 1 , 71 ] = 96.90 , P < 0.001 ) and in PSQI ( F [ 1,71 ] = 43.69 , P = 0.001 ) than the control group . Conclusion Tai chi is beneficial to improve balance , sleep quality , and cognitive performance of the elderly [ Purpose ] To investigate the effect of Tai Chi on cognitive and physical function  in the elderly . [ Subjects and Methods ] A r and omized trial design was used . A total 150 subjects were enrolled and were divided into Tai Chi and control groups . Subjects in the Tai Chi group participated Tai Chi for 6 months , and subjects in the control group participated in other non-athletic activities . [ Results ] There were no differences between the groups in the one leg st and ing time with eyes open , left grip strength , or the Frontal Assessment Battery at bedside after 3 and 6 months of intervention . The Mini-Mental State Examination scores after 3 and 6 months were higher in the Tai Chi group than in the control group . The right grip strength after 3 months increased more in the Tai Chi group than in the control group . Both the 5-m high walking speed and 10-m normal walking speed were significantly lower after 3 and 6 months of Tai Chi practice . [ Conclusion ] These results suggest that regular Tai Chi practice may improve cognitive and physical function in the elderly This one-arm pilot study investigated the effect of tai chi on cognition in elders with cognitive impairment . Although no significant difference existed between pre- and post-test performance on all cognition measures , a dose-response relationship was demonstrated between attendance and some cognition measures OBJECTIVES To examine whether combined center- and home-based Tai Chi training can improve cognitive ability and reduce physiological fall risk in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment ( a-MCI ) . DESIGN R and omized controlled trial . SETTING Chiang Mai , Thail and . PARTICIPANTS Adults aged 60 and older who met Petersen 's criteria for multiple-domain a-MCI ( N = 66 ) . INTERVENTION Three weeks center-based and 12 weeks home-based Tai Chi ( 50 minutes per session , 3 times per week ) . MEASUREMENTS Cognitive tests , including Logical Memory ( LM ) delayed recall , Block Design , Digit Span forward and backward , and Trail-Making Test Part B-A ( TMT B-A ) , and fall risk index using the Physiological Profile Assessment ( PPA ) . RESULTS At the end of the trial , performance on LM , Block Design , and TMT B-A were significantly better for the Tai Chi group than the control group after adjusting for baseline test performance . The Tai Chi group also had significantly better composite PPA score and PPA parameter scores : knee extension strength , reaction time , postural sway , and lower limb proprioception . CONCLUSION Combined center- and home-based Tai Chi training three times per week for 15 weeks significantly improved cognitive function and moderately reduced physiological fall risk in older adults with multiple-domain a-MCI . Tai Chi may be particularly beneficial to older adults with this condition OBJECTIVES To compare the effectiveness of Chinese-style mind-body exercise ( 24 forms simplified Tai Chi ) versus stretching and toning exercise in the maintenance of cognitive abilities in Chinese elders at risk of cognitive decline . DESIGN A 1-year single-blind cluster r and omized controlled trial . SETTING S Community centers and residential homes for elders in Hong Kong . PARTICIPANTS A total of 389 subjects at risk of cognitive decline ( Clinical Dementia Rating , CDR 0.5 or amnestic-MCI ) participated in an exercise intervention program . INTERVENTION A total of 171 subjects were trained with Tai 
    Output:
    
The meta- analysis revealed that Tai Chi could significantly improve global cognitive function ; memory and learning ; mental speed and attention ; ideas , abstract ion , figural creations , and mental flexibility ; and visuospatial perception .
The present review adds to the evidence showing that Tai Chi is potentially beneficial in improving cognitive functions among elderly people with MCI .