ArticlePloS one2022
Tai Chi increases functional connectivity and decreases chronic fatigue syndrome: A pilot intervention study with machine learning and fMRI analysis.
Article in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 24 citations in OpenAlex.
- Tai Chi, brain activity and psychological outcomes: a systematic scoping review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Recent research in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an evidence map.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Are Tai Chi and Qigong effective in the treatment of traumatic brain injury? A systematic review.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Pooled it
- Physical function and psychosocial outcomes after a 6-month self-paced aquatic exercise program for individuals with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Trial
- Predicting Potential Treatment Targets for Fatigue in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Using Thalamic Seeding.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Tai Chi for treating cancer-related fatigue: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.World journal of methodology · 2026Article
- Effects of Tai Chi on fatigue and resting-state brain activity in chronic fatigue syndrome: a randomized controlled fMRI study.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
- Comparative efficacy of various exercise therapies for chronic fatigue syndrome: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.iScience · 2025Article
- The protective effect of probiotic/prebiotic consumption against fatigue in the general population is modulated by BMI: an analysis of mediating and moderating effects based on NHANES.European journal of medical research · 2025Article
- Impact of Tai Chi Therapy on Fatigue and Cognitive Function in Individuals With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Multiple voxel pattern analysis shows associations between chronic fatigue syndrome and cortical atrophy.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Article
- Novel insight into prediction model for sleep quality among college students: a LASSO-derived sleep evaluation.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- A scoping review of methodologies for applying artificial intelligence to physical activity interventions.Journal of sport and health science · 2024Article
- The effects of an acute Tai Chi on emotional memory and prefrontal cortex activation: a fNIRS study.Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience · 2024Article
- Effect of Baduanjin Qigong on Sleep Quality and Hyperarousal State in Adults With Chronic Insomnia: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2023Article
- Effects of Tai Chi Cloud Hands on balance and resting-state functional connectivity after stroke: an fNIRS study.Frontiers in neurologyArticle
- Qigong and Tai Chi for ME/CFS: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Global advances in integrative medicine and healthArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe latest guidance on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) recommends exercise therapy. Tai Chi, an exercise method in traditional Chinese medicine, is reportedly helpful for CFS. However, the mechanism remains unclear. The present longitudinal study aimed to detect the influence of Tai Chi on functional brain connectivity in CFS.
methodsThe study recruited 20 CFS patients and 20 healthy controls to receive eight sessions of Tai Chi exercise over a period of one month. Before the Tai Chi exercise, an abnormal functional brain connectivity for recognizing CFS was generated by a linear support vector model. The prediction ability of the structure was validated with a random forest classification under a permutation test. Then, the functional connections (FCs) of the structure were analyzed in the large-scale brain network after Tai Chi exercise while taking the changes in the Fatigue Scale-14, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) as clinical effectiveness evaluation. The registration number is ChiCTR2000032577 in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry.
results1) The score of the Fatigue Scale-14 decreased significantly in the CFS patients, and the scores of the PSQI and SF-36 changed significantly both in CFS patients and healthy controls. 2) Sixty FCs were considered significant to discriminate CFS (P = 0.000, best accuracy 90%), with 80.5% ± 9% average accuracy. 3) The FCs that were majorly related to the left frontoparietal network (FPN) and default mode network (DMN) significantly increased (P = 0.0032 and P = 0.001) in CFS patients after Tai Chi exercise. 4) The change of FCs in the left FPN and DMN were positively correlated (r = 0.40, P = 0.012).
conclusionThese results demonstrated that the 60 FCs we found using machine learning could be neural biomarkers to discriminate between CFS patients and healthy controls. Tai Chi exercise may improve CFS patients' fatigue syndrome, sleep quality, and body health statement by strengthening the functional connectivity of the left FPN and DMN under these FCs. The findings promote our understanding of Tai Chi exercise's value in treating CFS.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.