Dementia is a syndrome of impairments of cortical functions caused by brain diseases. More than 55 million people worldwide are currently living with dementia, with nearly 10 million new cases each year. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and may account for 60-70% of patients with dementia. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediate state between normal cognitive aging and dementia. About 10% to 15% of patients with MCI progress to dementia each year. Therefore, it is crucial to find intervention strategies to prevent the progression of MCI to dementia. However, drug interventions are currently ineffective in the prevention of dementia. Based on the synaptic plasticity, more and more studies focus on non-drug interventions. Our research group previously found 6-months non-drug interventions (cognitive training, exercise therapy) can effectively delay cognitive decline in the elderly, providing a new strategy for the improvement of cognition in the elderly. Therefore, this project plans to conduct a multi-site, randomized, parallel-controlled clinical trial to examine the effect of 3 years-Tai Chi exercise intervention on cognitive function in MCI patients and to clarify whether the intervention can prevent MCI from conversion to dementia.
This study evaluates the effects of 3 years-Tai Chi exercise intervention on cognitive function in MCI patients and to clarify whether the intervention can prevent MCI from conversion to dementia. Patients will be randomized into the Tai chi training group and the control group.