Unpacking the "Mind" and "Body" Pathways of the Antidepressant Effect of Qigong in Older Adults: A Pilot Study

The goals of the study are to explore the neurobiological mechanisms and cognitive benefits of qigong in older adults. The main research questions are:

• Does 12-week qigong training lead to significant enhancement in serum adiponectin, serum BDNF and significant reduction in salivary cortisol?
• Does 12-week qigong training bring significant improvement in global cognitive function?

Participants are older adults aged 60 or above. They were randomly assigned to qigong training, mindfulness training, physical exercise training, or wait-list which all last for 12 weeks. Their changes before and after the 12-week period in depressive symptoms, neurobiological markers, and cognitive functions are assessed.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Qigong
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Qigong; Behavioral: Mindfulness-based training; Behavioral: Low-to-moderate intensity physical exercise

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 106
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Hong Kong
  • Kowloon, Hong Kong
    • Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 60 years or older;
• With mild or severer levels of depressive symptoms as indicated by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-8) scores of 5 or above, or Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) depression subscale scores of 4 or above
• Self-identified as physically stable and without life-threatening diseases.

Exclusion Criteria:

• With a history of practicing or receiving training of any form of mind-body or regular exercises (including tai chi, yoga, and qigong, or regular physical activity > 3 times/week) during the month prior to study enrollment
• Having changed medications or the dose of medications prescribed for their health condition in the month prior to study enrollment
• With severe cognitive or language impairment as defined as a score of less than 21 on Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-5min)
• Undergoing electroconvulsive therapy, psychotherapy, or psychoeducation for a psychological or psychiatric condition
• Unable to demonstrate satisfactory standing balance.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Qigong; 12-week training of Baduanjin (or named Eight-Section Brocades), with two sessions per week. Each session lasts for 60 min.	Behavioral: Qigong; 12-week training of Baduanjin (or named Eight-Section Brocades), with two sessions per week. Each session lasts for 60 min.
Active Comparator: Mindfulness-based Training; 12-week training of mindfulness-based breathing, walking, and stretching practices, with two sessions per week. Each session lasts for 60 min.	Behavioral: Mindfulness-based training; 12-week training of mindfulness-based breathing, walking, and stretching practices, with two sessions per week. Each session lasts for 60 min.
Active Comparator: Low-to-moderate Intensity Physical Exercise; 12-week training of stretching, flexibility exercise, and balance exercise, with two sessions per week. Each session lasts for 60 min.	Behavioral: Low-to-moderate intensity physical exercise; 12-week training of stretching, flexibility exercise, and balance exercise, with two sessions per week. Each session lasts for 60 min.
No Intervention: Waitlist; No training while the other three group are receiving training. Participants of this group are allowed to have Qigong, Mindfulness-based Training, or Low-to-moderate Intensity Physical Exercise after they complete all the assessments.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Depressive symptoms	The eight-item Patient Health Questionnaire	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)
Global cognitive function	Montreal Cognitive Assessment	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serum adiponectin	Collected and assayed through peripheral blood sample	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)
Serum BDNF	Collected and assayed through peripheral blood sample	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)
Salivary cortisol	Collected and assayed through saliva sample	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)
Attention	Attention Network Task; Only collected from participants of Qigong and Waitlist groups	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)
Inhibitory control	Attention Network Task; Only collected from participants of Qigong and Waitlist groups	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)
Working memory	N-back Task; Only collected from participants of Qigong and Waitlist groups	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)
ERP N2 amplitude	ERP data recorded during Attention Network Task and N-back Task; Only collected from participants of Qigong and Waitlist groups	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)
ERP P3 amplitude	ERP data recorded during Attention Network Task and N-back Task; Only collected from participants of Qigong and Waitlist groups	Baseline and post-intervention (12 weeks after baseline)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 31, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): August 31, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 7, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 27, 2025
• Last Verified: January 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 15104721-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No