Evidence mapPaperPMID 41853423Full record

ReviewCureus2026

Tai Chi Interventions for Slowing Cognitive Decline in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Graham A Branscom, Bianca Vama, Bintou Bane, McKenna Sun, Jianghong Liu

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Graham A BranscomSchool of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
Bianca VamaSchool of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
Bintou BaneSchool of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
McKenna SunSchool of Arts and Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
Jianghong LiuFamily and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The objective of this review was to compile randomized controlled trials that examined the effectiveness of tai chi in slowing cognitive decline among individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We limited our review to studies with interventions that lasted at least six months (≥ 24 weeks). Three databases were searched using similar search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria to identify studies for review. In total, eight randomized controlled trials were included. The inclusion criteria limited the selected articles to RCTs whose patients all had MCI and were at risk for developing cognitive decline. All eight studies revealed that tai chi slows cognitive decline among patients with MCI across various domains, including memory, attention, and global cognition, compared to the control groups. Notably, improvements in patient cognition were consistently observed across studies. Three studies using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment revealed a greater increase in MoCA scores from baseline to follow-up (≥24 weeks) among the tai chi intervention group compared to the non-tai chi control group (0.84, 1.3, and 2.9). Similarly, two studies using the Mini-Mental State Examination found greater cognitive improvements among the tai chi group than in the control group from baseline to follow-up (0.60 and 0.48). In conclusion, this review supports tai chi as a promising intervention for slowing cognitive decline in individuals with MCI. Positive effects were observed across various cognitive assessments. Thus, these findings may help guide patient care strategies and inform clinical models for MCI management.

Indexed as

agingcognitive declinecomplementarymild cognitive impairmentreviewtai chi

Identifiers

PMID41853423
PMCPMC12992150

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.