Ageing and age-related diseases have become the major threaten to human health [20]. Maintaining normal functional ability while getting old is the major goal to achieve healthy ageing. However, lack of clinical makers to indicate the health status in the elderly substantially prevents the development of this research field. Here we demonstrate that the cerebrovascular function represents a reliable indicator for healthy ageing, and Tai Chi exercise is effective to improve the age-related decline in cerebrovascular function.
Since cerebrovascular ageing is associated with cognitive decline, dementia and brain pathology, it is crucial to unveil the predictors of cerebrovascular function status for early detection and prevention [21]. Previous clinical evidence has shown that the cerebrovascular indices were highly sensitive to ageing [22, 23]. In the present study, we identified 11 cerebrovascular parameters that were significantly correlated with age in the elderly. CVHI score is a hemodynamic indicator reflecting the cerebrovascular structure and function, and is closely related to the occurrence of cerebrovascular diseases. Lower Vmax and Vmin in the aged people suggest that the blood supply is frequently insufficient, a possible reason for the high incidence of neuronal diseases in the elderly.
Arterial hemodynamics indices Vmean, Vmax, and Vmin are main parameters reflecting diastolic blood flow velocity. Cerebral dynamic Wv and Zcv are related to the elasticity of the arterial wall. Lowered Wv and Zcv indicate the better overall elasticity of the arteries. Rv is a quantitative indicator of the degree of the flow of small blood vessels and capillaries. Compared with the elderly controls, those who have practiced Tai Chi for 3 years showed alterations in most of the cerebrovascular parameters towards the young controls (Table 2). Firstly, these findings prove the effectiveness of Tai Chi to improve the cerebral health status in the elderly. Secondly, these findings support that the cerebrovascular parameters might serve as reliable indicators for healthy ageing. Thirdly, our study implicates that the age-related decline in cerebrovascular function is a reversible process. These ideas would prompt novel strategies to develop anti-ageing products.
Tai Chi has many positive effects on the health of the elderly, including improved motor ability, exercise efficiency and emotional state [24, 25]. In this study, we found that Tai Chi-style physical activity could prevent the ageing-induced cerebrovascular function decline of the elderly, which may effectively reduce the related cerebral diseases [16, 26–28]. In addition to the treatment of specific diseases, Tai Chi players provide a cohort of healthy ageing population, which would be an irreplaceable opportunity to investigate the molecular mechanisms of ageing in human.
This study also has some limitations. Firstly, this is a cross-sectional study involving a cohort of Tai Chi players with variable durations of Tai Chi practicing. The impact of duration or intensity of Tai Chi practicing on cerebrovascular function need to be further investigated. Secondly, we did not select another style of exercise as a strict control for Tai Chi. Thus, the observed changes would also reflect a general impact of regular physical activity. Thirdly, the conclusions need to be further validated by a longitudinal cohort with well-controlled Tai Chi training.
Taken together, in this cross-sectional study, we found that the age-related decline in cerebrovascular hemodynamics in the elderly is significantly improved by Tai Chi practice. Our findings provide novel insights into healthy ageing and anti-ageing strategies.