1 Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, Los Angeles, California.
2 Emotions and Quantitative Psychophysiology Section, National Institute on Aging, Gerontology Research Center, Baltimore, Maryland.
Address correspondence to Sarosh J. Motivala, PhD, Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, 300 Medical Plaza, Suite 3148, Los Angeles, California 90095-7057. E-mail:
smotivala@mednet.ucla.edu
Background. Aging is associated with increases of sympathetic nervous system activation implicated in the onset of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the practice of Tai Chi Chih (TCC), a movement-based relaxation practice, would acutely promote decreases of sympathetic activity in elderly persons.