Research Structural Changes In The Brain Tai Chi Practitioners With3.0T Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Tensor Imaging

ObjectiveTai Chi is a historic movement in China, with the purpose of physical fitness, spiritualcultivation. Practice shows that practicing tai chi can improve human health in many ways,including the human brain health, but that lacks of objective scientific effective proof. Thepurpose of this study is to explore the brain volume of tai chi practitioners, particularlywhite matter fiber diffusion tensor changes and this changes is related to the practice timeand practice technique.This is tested utilizing3.0T MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)techniques in whole-brain voxel-based morphometry analysis(VBA).Material and MethodsThis study was approved by the local institutional review board and all participantssigned informed consent. All participants were randomly divided into2groups, The tai chigroup selected20people, with the numbers of practice years from one year to18years,and the averaged years (8.45years), meanwhile the control group selected25healthyvolunteers, who did not carry out basic tai chi’s practice, and must be matched with age,sex and physical condition to the exercise group.All participants must be furtherexamination with their state of health,and then standards compliant participants can bechecked with SIEMENS3.0T MRI, scanning sequence: DTI and axial3D T1Mapping(the purpose of providing anatomical information). The resulting images were processedby the software of DtiStudio and whole-brain voxel-based analysis (VBA) method inSPM8, and then we needed to further volume analysis the meaningful regions betweengroups, that is statistical analysis to part of the fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparentdiffusion coefficient (ADC), and then the measured values of FA, ADC were related to thenumbers of years and rank practicing tai chi exercises with rank correlation analysis. ResultVBA statistics showed that compared with non-exercise group, the exercise groupmean FA values of the corpus callosum was significantly increased, and then we needed tofurther volume analysis the meaningful regions and Independent samples T-test betweengroups.(Average FA value in the practice group0.04±0.86, The mean FA values incontrol group0.02±0.84P <0.05; mean ADC value of practice group0.05±0.78, averageADC value of the control group0.05±0.74P <0.05; Then we need to carry out correlationanalysis between the FA value changes in corpus callosum and exercise years, practicelevel, that founded: the FA value changes in corpus callosum were moderately positivecorrelation with exercise years (r=0.45, p=0.045), significant positive correlation withtechnical level (r=0.699, p <0.01).ConclusionTai Chi exercise is meaningful for white matter fibers change, meanwhile this changeis correlation with year numbers of exercise and exercise level, which indicates a long andskilled practice tai chi can delay brain volume shrinkage and enhance balance in olderpeople.