Project Gnosis: the Neurophysical and Psychosocial Health Outcomes of Tai Chi for Older Adults with Cognitive Concerns or Mild Cognitive Impairment

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:
1. Participants who are older adults, defined as ≥60 years old.
2. Participants must have the ability to independently stand without the use of an assistive device for 20 minutes.
3. People with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) (initial cohort) and without MCI (age-gender matched healthy controls). A score of between >18 and ≤26 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) will be used to classify MCI. A score above 26 is considered normal.
Exclusion Criteria:
1. Participants with significant uncontrolled medication, and cardiovascular, respiratory, and metabolic symptoms will be excluded from participation in the study, as these symptoms could impact their engagement with the engagement of Tai Chi.
2. Investigators will administer a brief screening questionnaire to assess (a) hypotension symptoms related to intensive treatment of hypertension and (b) hypoglycemia related to intensive treatment of diabetes, as these conditions are associated with cognitive decline.
3. Investigators will capture data on potential sleep apnea and administer the Stop-Bang Questionnaire to identify potential sleep-disordered breathing. Participants with significant uncontrolled sleep apnea will be excluded as this could also impact their engagement in the intervention and influence the primary outcome measure of cognitive function.
2. Currently or recently practicing Tai Chi. Participants will be excluded if they are currently practicing Tai Chi. If participants have previously engaged in Tai Chi, there will be a washout period of at least 6 months before considering enrollment in the study.

The sponsor's own eligibility wording, lightly reformatted. The study team makes the final eligibility decision — worth discussing with your doctor.

Eligibility criteria as of 2025-02-17