Wang Min, Lyu Bei
Public Sports Department, Institute of Physical Education, Huzhou University, Huzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Chinese Graduate School, Panyapiwat Institute of Management, Nonthaburi, Thailand.
Front Psychol. 2024 Mar 7;15:1344989. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1344989. eCollection 2024.
College students, undergoing crucial cognitive development, face challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic that impact their executive functions. While existing research indicates positive effects of Tai Chi (TC) on college students' cognitive abilities, there is a scarcity of studies investigating its impact on executive functions and frontal brain activity.
This study aimed to compare the effects of 24-form simplified TC training on college students' executive functions and frontal brain electrical activity. The hypothesis posited that the TC group would exhibit superior performance compared to the control group during COVID-19 pandemic.
Seventy college students were randomly assigned to either TC group or control group, engaging in 36 sessions (3 sessions per week, 45 min each) over 12 weeks. Executive inhibitory control was assessed using the Stroop Color and Word Test, and resting brain electrical activity in the frontal area was recorded through Electroencephalography.
ACC was influenced by group, group-time interaction, and Stroop task-time interaction. RT was affected by time, task condition, task condition-time interaction, and task condition-group interaction. Notably, the TC group showed improved ACC (from 96.54 ± 3.27% to 98.90 ± 1.32%) and decreased RT (from 0.73 ± 0.12 to 0.66 ± 0.07 s), particularly in the inconsistent task. Regarding EEG band power, significant Group and Time interaction effects were found in F3-θ, F3-α, F3-β, F4-θ, and F4-α. Moreover, within the TC group, significant increases in F3-θ band power (from 4.66 ± 3.55 to 7.71 ± 8.44) and F4-θ band power (from 4.41 ± 2.82 to 8.61 ± 9.51) (10·μV·Hz) were noted pre-and post-tests. In the control group, significant decreases were observed in F3-α band power (from 5.18 ± 4.61 to 2.79 ± 2.11) and F4-α band power (from 5.57 ± 6.58 to 2.48 ± 1.95) (10·μV·Hz).
The pandemic-induced panic may impact frontal lobe brain activity in college students. TC training not only improves executive inhibitory control but may also enhance localized brain activity, suggesting its potential as a holistic intervention for cognitive and neurological well-being during stressful periods.
大学生正处于关键的认知发展阶段，在新冠疫情期间面临着影响其执行功能的挑战。虽然现有研究表明太极拳（TC）对大学生的认知能力有积极影响，但很少有研究调查其对执行功能和额叶大脑活动的影响。
本研究旨在比较24式简化太极拳训练对大学生执行功能和额叶脑电活动的影响。假设在新冠疫情期间，太极拳组的表现将优于对照组。
70名大学生被随机分为太极拳组或对照组，在12周内进行36次训练（每周3次，每次45分钟）。使用斯特鲁普颜色和文字测试评估执行抑制控制，并通过脑电图记录额叶区域的静息脑电活动。
前扣带回受组别、组别-时间交互作用和斯特鲁普任务-时间交互作用的影响。反应时间受时间、任务条件、任务条件-时间交互作用和任务条件-组别交互作用的影响。值得注意的是，太极拳组的前扣带回改善（从96.54±3.27%提高到98.90±1.32%），反应时间缩短（从0.73±0.12秒缩短到0.66±0.07秒），尤其是在不一致任务中。关于脑电频段功率，在F3-θ、F3-α、F3-β、F4-θ和F4-α中发现了显著的组别和时间交互作用。此外，在太极拳组内，测试前后F3-θ频段功率（从4.66±3.55增加到7.71±8.44）和F4-θ频段功率（从4.41±2.82增加到8.61±9.51）（10·μV·Hz）有显著增加。在对照组中，F3-α频段功率（从5.18±4.61降低到2.79±2.11）和F4-α频段功率（从5.57±6.58降低到2.48±1.95）（10·μV·Hz）有显著降低。
疫情引发的恐慌可能会影响大学生的额叶脑活动。太极拳训练不仅能改善执行抑制控制，还可能增强局部脑活动，表明其在压力时期作为认知和神经健康整体干预措施的潜力。
