Abstract
Cognitive control impairment is a typical symptom largely reported in populations with neurological disorders. Previous studies have provided evidence about the changes in cognitive control induced by mind-body training. However, the neural correlates underlying the effect of extensive mind-body practice on cognitive control remain largely unknown. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we characterized dynamic fluctuations in large-scale intrinsic connectivity networks associated with mind-body practice, and examined their differences between healthy controls and Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) practitioners. Compared with a control group, the TCC group revealed significantly decreased fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (fALFF) in the bilateral frontoparietal network, default mode network and dorsal prefrontal-angular gyri network. Furthermore, we detected a significant association between mind-body practice experience and fALFF in the default mode network, as well as an association between cognitive control performance and fALFF of the frontoparietal network. This provides the first evidence of large-scale functional connectivity in brain networks associated with mind-body practice, shedding light on the neural network changes that accompany intensive mind-body training. It also highlights the functionally plastic role of the frontoparietal network in the context of the “immune system” of mental health recently developed in relation to flexible hub theory.
Highlights
Various neurological diseases associated with significant deficits in cognitive control have been widely reported in the literature (Verma and Howard, 2012; Robbins and Cools, 2014)
We have demonstrated that a Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) group showed shorter trend than a control group in reaction time (RT) in flanker test and this was significantly associated with TCC experience among aging TCC practitioners (Wei et al, 2013)
The results showed that there was no significant difference in all relevant variables between the TCC group and the control group
Summary
Various neurological diseases associated with significant deficits in cognitive control have been widely reported in the literature (Verma and Howard, 2012; Robbins and Cools, 2014). A recent meta-analysis concluded that exercise, when meeting physical activity guidelines, can improve clinical symptoms in adults with neurologic disorders by enhancing cognitive control (Adamson et al, 2015). Based on the findings of several studies investigating the involvement of fronto-limbic regions after mindfulness meditation practice, it has been proposed that mindfulness works by strengthening prefrontal cognitive control mechanisms and down-regulates activity in regions relevant to affective processing (Tang et al, 2015). Integrative mind-body practice, consisting of both physical exercise and a meditation component, could have broader implications for the cognitive treatment of psychiatric and neurologic disorders. It is worth mentioning that Marciniak et al (2014) proposed a theoretical framework on the effects of mindfulness-based practice in the context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases, which addressed the pivotal role of cognitive control among various effects, including physiological aspects (cholesterol) and the neuroprotection profiles of emotions
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