ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1681295
A Study on the Brain Mechanisms of Postural Control Improvement in Obese College Students Through Traditional Martial Arts Tan Tui Practice
Provisionally accepted
- 1Southeast University, Nanjing, China
- 2Wenzhou Vocational College of Science and Technology, Wenzhou, China
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Objective: To investigate the effects of traditional martial arts Tan Tui practice on the brain mechanisms of postural control in obese college students. Methods: Eighty obese college students were randomly divided into a Tan Tui practice group (TT) and a control group (CON), with 40 participants in each group. The TT group engaged in Tan Tui practice, while the CON group performed jogging. The intervention period was 14 weeks (3 times per week, 60 minutes each session). Absolute power of the alpha frequency band was assessed at baseline (pre-intervention) and after 14 weeks (post-intervention) for brain regions related to cognitive function and sensorimotor function. Results: (1) Absolute Brain Power: Compared to the control group, the experimental group showed significant differences (p<0.05) in alpha band power in brain regions associated with cognitive function (prefrontal: FP1, FPz, FP2; temporal: T8, P7; occipital: O1) and sensorimotor function (posterior frontal: F7, F3, FZ; parietal: P3, P4; central: C3, CZ). Compared to pre-intervention, the experimental group showed significant differences (p<0.05) in alpha band power after training in cognitive function (prefrontal: FPz; temporal: T7, T8, P7, P8; occipital: O1) and sensorimotor function (posterior frontal, parietal, and central lobes). (2) Brain Region Symmetry: Compared to the control group, the difference in alpha band power between the left and right hemispheres of the occipital lobe (cognitive function) and central lobe (sensorimotor function) showed significant differences (p<0.05) after training. Compared to pre-intervention, the experimental group showed significant differences (p<0.05) in alpha band power after training in sensorimotor function (posterior frontal and central lobes). (3) Brain Region Synergy: Compared to pre-intervention, the experimental group showed a significant positive correlation (p<0.05) in the synergy between the prefrontal and occipital lobes, and the temporal and occipital lobes, which are cognitive function brain regions. After training, there was a significant positive correlation (P<0.05) in the synergy among sensorimotor function brain regions. Furthermore, after training, there was a significant positive correlation (p<0.05) in the synergy between different sensorimotor function brain regions (posterior frontal, parietal, central) and cognitive function-related brain regions.
Keywords: Traditional martial arts, Postural control, brain function, obese college students, EEG
Received: 07 Aug 2025; Accepted: 17 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Tang and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Qiao Huang, simon19700231@protonmail.com
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