Purpose: Although physical exercise may improve memory in older adults, whether the Chinese traditional fitness exercise Wuqinxi improves working memory and delays cognitive deterioration in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has not been assessed in randomized controlled experiments.

Methods: Fifty older adults with MCI based on their Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores were randomized to either a Wuqinxi exercise group or a non-exercise control group. The exercise group engaged in Wuqinxi once a week for 60 min each session for 40 weeks. Participants in the control group received no intervention and maintained their regular living habits. The n-back paradigm was used to measure changes in working memory before and after Wuqinxi exercise.

Results: In the 0-back task, the response speed of older adults with MCI who participated in Wuqinxi was faster than that of older adults with MCI in the non-exercise control group (P = 0.031); there was no significant difference in accuracy between the two groups (P > 0.05). In the 1-back and 2-back tasks, there was no significant difference in response times or in accuracy between the two groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusions: In this randomized controlled study, participation in long-term Wuqinxi delayed the deterioration of working memory in older adults with MCI, suggesting that this exercise may be an effective intervention to delay or prevent the progression of MCI to Alzheimer's disease.