The scientific discovery of novel training paradigms has yielded better understanding of basic mechanisms underlying cortical plasticity, learning and development. This study is a first step in evaluating Tai Chi (TC), the Chinese slow-motion meditative exercise, as a training paradigm that, while not engaging in direct tactile stimulus training, elicits enhanced tactile acuity in long-term practitioners. The rationale for this study comes from the fact that, unlike previously studied direct-touch tactile training paradigms, TC practitioners focus specific mental attention on the body's extremities including the fingertips and hands as they perform their slow routine. To determine whether TC is associated with enhanced tactile acuity, experienced adult TC practitioners were recruited and compared to age-gender matched controls. A blinded assessor used a validated method (Van Boven et al. in Neurology 54(12): 2230-2236, 2000) to compare TC practitioners' and controls' ability to discriminate between two different orientations (parallel and horizontal) across different grating widths at the fingertip. Study results showed that TC practitioners' tactile spatial acuity was superior to that of the matched controls (P < 0.04). There was a trend showing TC may have an enhanced effect on older practitioners (P < 0.066), suggesting that TC may slow age related decline in this measure. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate a long-term attentional practice's effects on a perceptual measure. Longitudinal studies are needed to examine whether TC initiates or is merely correlated with perceptual changes and whether it elicits long-term plasticity in primary sensory cortical maps. Further studies should also assess whether related somatosensory attentional practices (such as Yoga, mindfulness meditation and Qigong) achieve similar effects.

Kerr CE, Shaw JR, Wasserman RH, Chen VW, Kanojia A, Bayer T, Kelley JM. Harvard Osher Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. catherine_kerr@hms.harvard.edu Exp Brain Res. 2008 Jun;188(2):317-22.

Quality of life (QOL) of cancer patients is often diminished due to the side effects of treatment and symptoms of the disease itself. Medical Qigong (coordination of gentle exercise and relaxation through meditation and breathing exercise based on Chinese medicine theory of energy channels) may be an effective therapy for improving QOL, symptoms and side effects, and longevity of cancer patients. In this pilot study, the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of Medical Qigong (MQ) were evaluated on outcomes in cancer patients. Thirty patients diagnosed with heterogeneous cancers, were randomly assigned to two groups: a control group that received usual medical care and an intervention group who participated in a MQ program for 8 weeks in addition to receiving usual medical care. Randomization was stratified by completion of cancer treatment (n = 14) or under chemotherapy (n = 16). Patients completed measures before and after the program. Quality of life and symptoms were measured by the EORTC QLQ-C 30 and progress of disease by the inflammation biomarker (CRP: c-reactive protein) via a blood test was assessed. The MQ intervention group reported clinically significant improved global QOL scores pre- and post-intervention. The MQ intervention also reduced the symptoms of side effects of cancer treatment and inflammation biomarker (CRP) compare to the control group. Due to the small sample size, however, the results were not statistically significant between treatment and the control groups. Data from the pilot study suggest that MQ with usual medical treatment can enhance the QOL of cancer patients and reduce inflammation. This study needs a further investigation with a larger sample size.

Oh B, Butow P, Mullan B, Clarke S. School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia. bsoh@med.usyd.edu.au Am J Chin Med. 2008;36(3):459-72.

Taiji (T'ai Chi) has been shown to have generally positive effects on functional balance. However, few studies have investigated the mechanisms by which Taiji may improve balance. The goal of this study was to evaluate changes in sensory and biomechanical balance mechanisms as a consequence of a traditional Taiji exercise program for healthy older adults that intentionally emphasized both Taiji forms and Qigong meditation. MATERIAL/METHODS: This was a randomized controlled trial with blind testers. Forty-nine healthy older adults (mean age 80.4, SD. 8.6) were randomized to participate in Taiji-Qigong (TQ) training (N=33) or a wait-list control group (WC, N=16). TQ instruction was provided 1 hour/session, 3 sessions a week for six months. Somatosensory, visual, and vestibular ratios of the Sensory Organization Test, and quiet stance Base of Support (BoS) and feet opening angle measures were collected prior to instruction (T0), at two months (T2), and six months (T6). RESULTS: TQ group vestibular ratio scores (normalized to T0) were +22% and +47% greater than WC at T2 and T6, respectively. The TQ group exhibited an increase in quiet stance BoS over time but not feet opening angle, indicating that the increase in BoS was due to the adoption of wider stances. CONCLUSIONS: Improved use of vestibular input and wider stances are two mechanisms by which Taiji-Qigong training may improve healthy older adults' balance. Further study is needed to evaluate other balance mechanisms and the individual and combined effects of different aspects of traditional Taiji practice.

Med Sci Monit. 2007 Aug;13(8):CR339-48. Yang Y, Verkuilen JV, Rosengren KS, Grubisich SA, Reed MR, Hsiao-Wecksler ET. Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. yyang5@uiuc.edu