State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong; Laboratory of Neuropsychology and Human Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Brain Behav Immun. 2021 Jul;95:381-390. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.04.011. Epub 2021 Apr 17.
Evidence has suggested that exercise protects against cognitive decline in aging, but the recent lockdown measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have limited the opportunity for outdoor exercise. Herein we tested the effects of an indoor exercise, Qigong, on neurocognitive functioning as well as its potential neuro-immune pathway.
We conducted a 12-week randomized active-controlled trial with two study arms in cognitively healthy older people. We applied Wu Xing Ping Heng Gong (Qigong), which was designed by an experienced Daoist Qigong master, to the experimental group, whereas we applied the physical stretching exercise to the control group. The Qigong exercise consisted of a range of movements involving the stretching of arms and legs, the turning of the torso, and relaxing, which would follow the fundamental principles of Daoism and traditional Chinese medicine (e.g., Qi). We measured aging-sensitive neurocognitive abilities, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, and brain structural volumes in the experimental (Qigong, n = 22) and control groups (stretching, n = 26) before and after the 12-week training.
We observed that Qigong caused significant improvement in processing speed (t (46) = 2.03, p = 0.048) and sustained attention (t (46) = -2.34, p = 0.023), increased hippocampal volume (t (41) = 3.94, p < 0.001), and reduced peripheral IL-6 levels (t (46) = -3.17, p = 0.003). Moreover, following Qigong training, greater reduction of peripheral IL-6 levels was associated with a greater increase of processing speed performance (bootstrapping CI: [0.16, 3.30]) and a more significant training-induced effect of hippocampal volume on the improvement in sustained attention (bootstrapping CI: [-0.35, -0.004]).
Overall, these findings offer significant insight into the mechanistic role of peripheral IL-6-and its intricate interplay with neural processes-in the beneficial neurocognitive effects of Qigong. The findings have profound implications for early identification and intervention of older individuals vulnerable to cognitive decline, focusing on the neuro-immune pathway. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (identifier: NCT04641429).
有证据表明，运动可预防衰老导致的认知能力下降，但最近与 COVID-19 大流行相关的封锁措施限制了户外活动的机会。在此，我们测试了一种室内运动，气功，对神经认知功能的影响及其潜在的神经免疫途径。
我们进行了一项为期 12 周的随机对照临床试验，将认知健康的老年人分为两组。实验组采用由经验丰富的道教气功大师设计的五行平衡气功，对照组采用物理伸展运动。气功运动包括一系列涉及手臂和腿部伸展、躯干转动和放松的动作，这些动作遵循道教和中医的基本原理（例如，气）。我们在实验组（气功，n=22）和对照组（伸展，n=26）的 12 周训练前后测量了与衰老相关的神经认知能力、血清白细胞介素-6（IL-6）水平和大脑结构体积。
我们发现，气功显著改善了处理速度（t（46）=2.03，p=0.048）和持续注意力（t（46）=-2.34，p=0.023），增加了海马体体积（t（41）=3.94，p<0.001），降低了外周 IL-6 水平（t（46）=-3.17，p=0.003）。此外，气功训练后，外周 IL-6 水平的降低与处理速度表现的提高呈正相关（bootstrapping CI：[0.16，3.30]），而海马体体积对持续注意力改善的训练效果的影响更大（bootstrapping CI：[-0.35，-0.004]）。
总的来说，这些发现为外周白细胞介素-6 及其与神经过程的复杂相互作用在气功的有益神经认知效果中的机制作用提供了重要的见解。这些发现对早期识别和干预易发生认知能力下降的老年人具有深远意义，重点是神经免疫途径。该试验在 clinicaltrials.gov 注册（标识符：NCT04641429）。
