Scientific Archives - Internal Tai Chi Chuan of NY

Brain, Toes, and Fingers: Clues About How They Connect

Baby holding feet, curling toes and fingers

Brain, Toes, and Fingers: Clues About How They Connect

Highlights [bolding below is by editor here]

There are systematic but distinct patterns of confusion between fingers and toes.
Idiosyncrasies in patterns of tactile confusion are shared between fingers and toes.
Tactile confusions likely arise from high-level representations of the body.
Shared confusions may be a result of a common representation of fingers and toes.

Note by editor: important for us as Tai Chi Chuan practitioners is that there are innate connections between toes and fingers. The article is also studying pathology (“confusion”) between toes and fingers, but for us, the natural brain connection of toes and fingers is information that is more essential, and points to a fundamental of Tai Chi Chuan practice for most effective movement integrating brain and body.

Abstract

There are many similarities and differences between the human hands and feet. On a psychological level, there is some evidence from clinical disorders and studies of tactile localisation in healthy adults for deep functional connections between the hands and feet.

One form these connections may take is in common high-level mental representations of the hands and feet. Previous studies have shown that there are systematic, but distinct patterns of confusion found between both the fingers and toes. Further, there are clear individual differences between people in the exact patterns of mislocalisations.

Here, we investigated whether these idiosyncratic differences in tactile localisation are shared between the fingers and toes, which may indicate a shared high-level representation. We obtained confusion matrices showing the pattern of mislocalisation on the hairy skin surfaces of both the fingers and toes.

Using a decoding approach, we show that idiosyncratic differences in individuals’ pattern of confusions are shared across the fingers and toes, despite different overall patterns of confusions. These results suggest that there is a common representation of the fingers and toes.

Research on Blood Pressure Benefits of Tai Chi Chuan

Twenty years ago, it was commonly understood that science had not seriously studied the benefits of Tai Chi Chuan, so reports of its benefits were mostly anecdotal or personal opinions. Benefits for balance and prevention of falls were the earliest studies done, but that ignored other beneficial effects such as on mental state, cholesterol levels, sugar levels (related to diabetes), and blood pressure.

Research on Tai Chi Chuan however has expanded greatly. In this short article, I will describe some of the research on lowering of blood pressure and keeping it in a healthy range. There are numerous research articles concerning blood pressure in peer-reviewed journals and by prestigious organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I will provide a few links at the end of this article for those who would like to read selected research.

I have mentioned in my Tai Chi Chuan classes that typical exercises described as cardiovascular exercise in this country are focused on raising the heart rate. There is even an ideal, target heart rate recommended by age. Although such activity can be helpful due to impact on bones and muscles, including the heart, they may not have as much influence as hoped for on other processes such as blood pressure and cholesterol.

The problem with the fast-heart strategy used as a blanket or universal approach is that for all but the youngest or healthiest individuals, there is significant risk that the heart is being forced to pump hard while working against the tension of a non-optimal circulatory system. This can put the heart at risk of strain. The circulatory system is indeed exactly that, a system: the heart, arteries, and veins all need to work together for true circulatory health.

There are muscles lining the walls of our arteries and veins, and those muscles are an important part of our circulation. Wherever there are muscles, there are also nerves, hormones, and other internal factors that control how well the muscles work. Strangely, many articles on circulation omit the active role of arteries and veins in helping blood circulate. However, Lumen Learning spells it out: “Blood primarily moves through the body by the rhythmic movement of smooth muscle in the vessel wall and by the action of the skeletal muscle as the body moves.”

The deep release and energy shifts of Tai Chi Chuan help circulation in a holistic, systemic way. One study shows Tai Chi Chuan practice as significantly more effective in lowering blood pressure and lowering bad cholesterol levels than aerobic exercises. Other articles show a similar effect of aerobics and Tai Chi Chuan practice. The studies do not attempt to ensure that the Tai Chi Chuan practice is done optimally, so perhaps with an experienced teacher even better results would be observed. Tai Chi Chuan practice over a longer period of time than in the research studies would also likely be beneficial.

Over the years, I have gained increasing awareness of and respect for our amazing human mind / body system. For overall health, holistic practices that improve the well-being of brain and body in an integrated manner are vital; such practices can lead to enduring mental and physical health benefits. The evidence continues to accumulate that Tai Chi Chuan is perfectly placed to contribute to practitioners’ mental and physical well-being.

Tai Chi Increases Brain Size and Benefits Cognition in Randomized Controlled Trial of Chinese Elderly

Tampa, FL (June 19, 2012) — Scientists from the University of South Florida and Fudan University in Shanghai found increases in brain volume and improvements on tests of memory and thinking in Chinese seniors who practiced Tai Chi three times a week, reports an article published today in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Findings were based on an 8-month randomized controlled trial comparing those who practiced Tai Chi to a group who received no intervention. The same trial showed increases in brain volume and more limited cognitive improvements in a group that participated in lively discussions three times per week over the same time period.

Previous trials have shown increases in brain volume in people who participated in aerobic exercise, and in one of these trials, an improvement in memory was seen. However, this was the first trial to show that a less aerobic form of exercise, Tai Chi, as well as stimulating discussion led to similar increases in brain volume and improvements on psychological tests of memory and thinking.

The group that did not participate in the interventions showed brain shrinkage over the same time period, consistent with what generally has been observed for persons in their 60s and 70s.

Numerous studies have shown that dementia and the syndrome of gradual cognitive deterioration that precedes it is associated with increasing shrinkage of the brain as nerve cells and their connections are gradually lost.

“The ability to reverse this trend with physical exercise and increased mental activity implies that it may be possible to delay the onset of dementia in older persons through interventions that have many physical and mental health benefits,” said lead author Dr. James Mortimer, professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida College of Public Health.

Research suggests that aerobic exercise is associated with increased production of brain growth factors. It remains to be determined whether forms of exercise like Tai Chi that include an important mental exercise component could lead to similar changes in the production of these factors. “If this is shown, then it would provide strong support to the concept of “use it or lose it” and encourage seniors to stay actively involved both intellectually and physically,” Dr. Mortimer said.

One question raised by the research is whether sustained physical and mental exercise can contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common dementing illness.

“Epidemiologic studies have shown repeatedly that individuals who engage in more physical exercise or are more socially active have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Mortimer said. “The current findings suggest that this may be a result of growth and preservation of critical regions of the brain affected by this illness.”

Source: James A. Mortimer, Ding Ding, Amy R. Borenstein, Charles DeCarli, Qihao Guo, Yougui Wu, Qianhua Zhao, Shugang Chu. Changes in Brain Volume and Cognition in a Randomized Trial of Exercise and Social Interaction in a Community-Based Sample of Non-Demented Chinese Elders. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2012

Tai Chi Chuan exercise related change in brain function as assessed by functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is a typical mind–body and low–intensity aerobic exercise that involves cognitive training and movement meditation and has positive associations with physiological and psychological conditions. TCC has metabolic equivalents estimated between 1.5 and 4.0.

This aerobic intensity overlaps with brisk walking which has been demonstrated to contribute to the prevention of cognitive decline, and rehabilitation of dementia and stroke; notably, TCC has been observed to improve power, balance, memory and attention after 6 months.

Moreover, TCC practice can affect the brain prefrontal structure and function and improve memory, as observed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The parietal and occipital cortices in TCC practitioners were found to have thickened through the same method.

Electroencephalo–graph (EEG) showed significant theta activities in the fronto–central and centro–parietal cortical areas in TCC practitioners and TCC have been shown to reduce anxiety and depression. However, the mechanism of the effects of TCC training on brain function remains poorly understood, especially in real–time body movements. Therefore, it is necessary to study the change in brain function related to TCC movement state.

Beyond the intensity of activity in a particular cortical region induced by TCC, significant differences in brain activity and dynamic configuration of connectivity were observed between the TCC and control groups during resting and movement states. These findings suggested that TCC training improved the connection of PFC, MC and OC in myogenic activity, sympathetic nervous system, and endothelial cell metabolic activities; enhanced brain functional connections and relayed the ability of TCC to improve cognition and the anti–memory decline potential… Read full article

Tai Chi Chuan optimizes the functional organization of the intrinsic human brain architecture in older adults

Brain and functional homogeneity, research article

Whether Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) can influence the intrinsic functional architecture of the human brain remains unclear. To examine TCC-associated changes in functional connectomes, resting-state functional magnetic resonance images were acquired from 40 older individuals including 22 experienced TCC practitioners (experts) and 18 demographically matched TCC-naive healthy controls, and their local functional homogeneities across the cortical mantle were compared.

Compared to the controls, the TCC experts had significantly greater and more experience-dependent functional homogeneity in the right post-central gyrus (PosCG) and less functional homogeneity in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the right dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex. Increased functional homogeneity in the PosCG was correlated with TCC experience. Intriguingly, decreases in functional homogeneity (improved functional specialization) in the left ACC and increases in functional homogeneity (improved functional integration) in the right PosCG both predicted performance gains on attention network behavior tests.

These findings provide evidence for the functional plasticity of the brain’s intrinsic architecture toward optimizing locally functional organization, with great implications for understanding the effects of TCC on cognition, behavior and health in aging population… Read full article

An evidence map of the effect of Tai Chi on health outcomes

National Institutes of Health / July 27, 2016

Tai Chi, also known as Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan, developed as an ancient Chinese martial art and is today widely practiced for its health benefits. Many forms of Tai Chi exist, but in western culture, it is most commonly taught as a series of slow, gentle, low-impact movements that integrate the breath, mind, and physical activity to achieve greater awareness and a sense of inner peace and well-being. The meditative movement is designed to strengthen and stretch the body, improve the flow of blood and other fluids, improve balance, proprioception, and awareness of how the body moves through space; and it may be practiced in a group format or alone [1]. Results from the 2007 National Health Interview Survey — a survey of a representative sample of adults in the USA — estimated that approximately 2.3 million adults in the USA practiced Tai Chi in the past 12 months. There is no official licensure granted by national or state professional boards, and there are no official standards for training instructors; thus, individual training programs vary.

Research on effects of Tai Chi on health outcomes continues to expand and has been the subject of many primary research studies and reviews of the literature. The research field covers a wide spectrum of clinical indications, targets a range of populations, and has focused on a variety of settings. A systematic review of systematic reviews identified 35 reviews published in 2010 and concluded that Tai Chi is effective for fall prevention and improving psychological health and was associated with general health benefits for older people [2]. However, the interest in Tai Chi has increased in particular in recent years and since 2010, more than twice as many systematic reviews have been published. In order to provide a broad overview of the research evidence that has been published to date, we conducted a systematic review of systematic reviews of the effects of Tai Chi on health outcomes [3]… Read full article