Reduced feelings of regret and enhanced fronto-striatal connectivity in elders with long-term Tai Chi experience


Author: Zhiyuan Liu1,2, Lin Li3,4, Sijia Liu3, Yubin Sun2, Shuang Li3, Meng Yi3, Li Zheng3,4,5, Xiuyan Guo2,3,4,5

Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, China.

<sup>2</sup> Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, School of Physics and Materials Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.

<sup>3</sup> School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.

<sup>4</sup> National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.

<sup>5</sup> Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Brain Functional Genomics, School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
Conference/Journal: Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci
Date published: 2020 Oct 2
Other:
  Special Notes: doi: 10.1093/scan/nsaa111.   ,  Word Count: 196  
    The current study investigates how long-term Tai Chi experience affects the neural and emotional response to regret in elders. Participants perform the sequential risk-taking task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning. In the task, participants opened a series of boxes consecutively and decided when to stop. Each box contained a reward, except for one which contained a devil. If the devil was revealed, then this served to zero the participant's gain in that trial. Once stopped, participant's gains and missed chances were revealed. Behaviorally, the Tai Chi group showed less regret, reduced risk taking, higher levels of nonjudgment of inner experience and less emotional sensitivity to outcome. fMRI results showed that the Tai Chi group demonstrated stronger fronto-striatal functional connectivity in trials with numerous missed chances. The nonjudgment of inner experience mediated the impact of fronto-striatal functional connectivity on Tai Chi practitioners' emotional sensitivity to outcome. These results highlight that long-term Tai Chi exercise may be effective in alleviating feelings of regret in elders by promoting reduced judgment of inner experience and enhanced emotion regulation through the strengthening of fronto-striatal functional connectivity.



Keywords: Tai Chi; functional connectivity; meditation; regret; striatum.



PMID: 33007783 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa111