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Diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a common complication of diabetes that damages the peripheral nerves, significantly impairing balance and postural control in older adults. Although Tai Chi is known to improve postural stability in this group, the brain mechanisms behind these improvements have not been fully understood. This study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy — a non-invasive brain imaging technique that measures blood flow changes in the cortex — to investigate how eight weeks of Tai Chi training affects neural activity during balance tasks in forty older adults with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Participants were randomly assigned to either a supervised Tai Chi training group or a health education control group. Brain activity was recorded in several cortical regions involved in movement and sensory processing during both static (standing still) and dynamic (moving) balance tasks. After eight weeks, the Tai Chi group showed reduced activation in the premotor cortex and supplementary motor area, as well as the primary motor cortex, during static tasks, suggesting more efficient neural processing. During dynamic tasks, activation in the primary motor cortex and primary somatosensory cortex increased, indicating greater neural engagement. The Tai Chi group also demonstrated reduced postural sway and improved timed-up-and-go test performance. Correlations between brain activation changes and static balance improvements were identified, though no such links were found for dynamic task performance.
Conclusion: Tai Chi appears to modulate cortical brain activity in a task-specific manner, offering distinct neural pathways through which balance and postural control may be improved in older adults with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
Source: Duan X, Wang X, Song Q and colleagues. Brain research (2026). View on PubMed (PMID 42001989) · doi:10.1016/j.brainres.2026.150333