Effect of Chinese traditional exercises on executive function in the mild cognitive impairment population:a systematic review
CHEN Xuerui
WANG Xiaoge
YU Laikang
ZHANG Xueyan
ZANG Weidong
LI Cui
Abstract：Objectives:To investigate the effects of Chinese traditional exercises on executive function in the mild cognitive impairment population,and the optimal exercise modes to improve executive function in the MCI population.Methods:The relevant randomized controlled studies on the impact of traditional Chinese exercises on the executive function of people with mild cognitive impairment in EMbase,PubMed,Cochrane Library,Web of Science,China Biomedical Literature Database,CNKI(China National Knowledge Infrastructure),Wanfang Data,and VIP Database were searched.Two researchers completed the literature screening and data extraction according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,and conducted statistical analysis.Results:A total of 13 papers were included.The results of the meta-analysis showed that Chinese traditional exercises significantly improved executive function in the MCI population[SMD=-0.46,95%CI(-0.57,-0.34)].Subgroup analyses showed that Tai Chi significantly improved executive function in the MCI population[SMD=-0.45,95%CI(-0.58,-0.33)],whereas Baduanjin did not have a significant effect on executive function in the MCI population[SMD=-0.30,95%CI(-0.66,0.05)].Traditional Chinese exercise with the intervention duration of<4 months[SMD=-0.69,95%CI(-1.09,-0.28)],exercise frequency of>3 sessions[SMD=-0.71,95%CI(-0.96,-0.45)],each exercise session time of≥60 min[SMD=-0.54,95%CI(-0.71,-0.37)],and total weekly intervention time of≥180 min[SMD=-0.53,95%CI(-0.71,-0.35)]was more effective in improving executive function in the MCI population.Conclusions:Chinese traditional exercises,especially Tai Chi,can effectively improve executive function of the MCI population,with the intervention duration of less than 4 months proving to be more effective.It is recommended that they engage in Chinese traditional exercises at least 3 times per week,with each session lasting at least 60 min,in order to achieve a total weekly exercise duration of at least 180 minutes.
Keywords：Chinese traditional exercisesTai Chimild cognitive impairmentexecutive functionsystematic review
Publication Date：2025-09-10
Online Publishing Date：2025-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：10( 2938-2947 )