Effects of Eight-Style Tai Chi on Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment Related to Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

<bold>Objective</bold>To observe the effects of eight-style Tai Chi on cognitive function, executive function, and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD)-related risk factors in patients with CSVD- related mild cognitive impairment (MCI).<bold>Methods</bold>A total of 106 residents from communities (Chating, Yangzhong, and Yizhou) in Fuzhou, diagnosed with CSVD-related MCI in the Affiliated People's Hospital of Fujian University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from November 2020 to October 2023, were randomly divided into control group and observation group using a computer-generated random sequence, with 53 cases in each group. Due to reasons such as voluntary withdrawal, loss to follow-up, hospitalization, and scheduling conflicts, 10 cases in the control group and 11 cases in the observation group discontinued or dropped out, resulting in the inclusion of 43 and 42 cases in each group, respectively. The control group received primary prevention education and cognitive education for CSVD. The observation group additionally received eight-style simplified Tai Chi training, once every other day, 30 minutes per session (comprising a 5-minute warm-up, 20 minutes of practice, and a 5-minute cool-down), three times a week, for a total of 24 weeks. Before treatment, at 12 and 24 weeks of treatment, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to evaluate overall cognitive function; the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) and Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) were employed to assess executive function and memory, respectively. Before treatment, at 24 weeks of treatment, biochemical analyses were conducted to measure total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholestrol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholestrol (LDL-C) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels in peripheral venous blood. Additionally, adverse events including hypoglycemia, exercise-related injuries, accidental injuries, and abnormal vital signs were monitored throughout the trial.<bold>Results</bold>(1) MoCA scores: compared with those before treatment, total MoCA scores, visuospatial and executive functions, naming, and delayed recall scores in both groups increased significantly after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05), attention score in the observation group increased significantly after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05); compared with those after 12 weeks of treatment, the total MoCA scores, and the scores of visuospatial and executive functions and abstraction increased significantly in both groups after 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05), and the scores of attention and delayed recall in the observation group increased significantly after 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05). Compared with the control group at the same time, the total MoCA scores, visuospatial and executive function scores in the observation group were significantly higher after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05), and the attention score was significantly higher after 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05). (2) DSST and AVLT scores: compared with those before treatment and after 12 weeks of treatment, the DSST scores in the observation group increased significantly after 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05). Compared with the control group at the same time, DSST score in the observation group was significantly higher after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05). There was no significant difference in AVLT scores between the two groups after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05). (3) Blood biochemical indexes: compared with those before treatment and the control group after 24 weeks of treatment, there were no significant differences in TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, and FPG in the observation group after 24 weeks of treatment (<italic>P</italic>0.05). (4) Safety: throughout the trial, neither group reported any adverse events such as hypoglycemia, exercise-related injuries, accidental injuries, or abnormal vital signs.<bold>Conclusion</bold>Eight-type Tai Chi intervention can effectively improve the overall cognitive function of patients with CSVD, particularly in visuospatial and executive functions, attention and information processing speed. However, it has no significant effect on memory function and CSVD-related risk factors. It demonstrates good safety, offering a reference for non-pharmacological intervention in CSVD-related cognitive impairment.