Effects of Tai Chi Exercise on Bipedal Standing Balance Control and Cortical Electrical Activity in Older Adults:A Cross-Sectional Crossover Study
10.16156/j.1004-7220.2025.03.014
- VernacularTitle:太极拳锻炼对老年人双足站立平衡控制及大脑皮层电活动的影响:一项横断交叉研究
- Author:
Jianrui GUO
1
;
Feng GUO
;
Kaiqi WANG
;
Yao HUANG
Author Information
1. 沈阳体育学院实验室管理中心,沈阳 110102
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Tai Chi;
static balance;
bipedal standing;
visualization;
electroencephalography;
older adults
- From:
Journal of Medical Biomechanics
2025;40(3):623-630,691
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To study the effects of regular Tai Chi exercise on balance control ability and cortical electrical activity of older adults during bipedal standing.Methods A total of 39 older adults were recruited.Among them,18 subjects had regular Tai Chi exercise for 1-3 years(Tai Chi group),and 21 subjects did not have any form of regular exercises(control group).The subjects in both groups were required to perform bipedal standing balance with their eyes open and closed for 60 s,and the center of pressure(COP)of the body and the electroencephalography(EEG)signals were captured during the balancing process.The sample entropy of COP was also calculated,and the EEG power in different brain regions at δ,θ,α and β frequency bands were calculated,and the correlation analysis of COP sample entropy and EEG power was performed.Results The entropy of the COPY sample of Tai Chi group during bipedal standing balance in eyes-open and eyes-closed states was significantly smaller than that of control group(P＜0.05).In eyes-open standing balance task,the frontal-central-parietal region δ-wave and frontal-central region β-wave power of Tai Chi group were significantly higher than those of control group(P＜0.05).In eyes-closed standing balance task,the frontal-central-parietal region δ-,θ-,α-,and β-wave power were significantly higher than those of control group(P＜0.05).In eyes-open standing balance task,the frontal(r=0.529),central-frontal(r=0.478),central(r=0.484),and central-parietal(r=0.488)α-wave power of Tai Chi group were positively correlated with the entropy of the COPLen sample(P＜0.05),and in eyes-closed standing balance task,the central-parietal(r=-0.484),and parietal(r=-0.491)α-wave power were negatively correlated with COPLen sample entropy(P＜0.05).Conclusions Long-term regular Tai Chi exercise can stimulate more cortical involvement in postural control in older adults,and it can effectively regulate cortical α-wave rhythms and activities,and optimize cortical regulation for improved body balance maintenance.
