451 Chang is with the Graduate Institute of Coaching Science, National Taiwan Sport University, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. Nien is with the Dept. of Exercise Performance Arts, Physical Education College, Taipei, Taiwan. Tsai is with the Institute of Physical Education, Health and Leisure Studies, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, Taiwan. Etnier is with the Dept. of Kinesiology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2010, 18, 451-472 © 2010 Human Kinetics, Inc. Physical Activity and Cognition in Older Adults: The Potential of Tai Chi Chuan Yu-Kai Chang, Yu-Hsiang Nien, Chia-Liang Tsai, and Jennifer L. Etnier The purpose of this article is to review the potential of Tai Chi Chuan as a mode of physical activity that could have cognitive beneits for older adults and to provide potential directions for future research. A brief introduction to Tai Chi Chuan and its related physical beneits is provided. In addition, the empirical literature related to Tai Chi Chuan and cognition is reviewed. Potential mediators of the relation- ship between Tai Chi Chuan and cognition, including physical resources, disease status, and mental resources, are discussed. Based on the limitations of the extant literature, it is argued that future research in this area must provide more detailed descriptions of Tai Chi Chuan, particularly in terms of intensity and program progression. Consideration of the speciic type of cognition that is expected to beneit is also encouraged, and approaches for further efforts to understand how Tai Chi Chuan affects cognition are recommended. Keywords: aging, cognitive function, executive function, mind-body exercise It is widely recognized that adults over age 65 make up one of the fastest grow- ing segments of the population (Hutton, 2008). In 2006, older adults accounted for 12% of the overall population in the United States, and this group is expected to account for nearly 20% of the overall population by 2030 (Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, 2008). This increasing demographic of the older population is a worldwide phenomenon (Gorman, 2002; Kalache & Kickbusch, 1997). With this increase in life expectancy, however, comes the expectation that more than half of all older adults will suffer from at least one age-related physical or mental ailment (Standage & Duda, 2004). One age-related ailment that is experienced by many older adults is cognitive decline. Aging is generally accompanied by deterioration of brain structures, which is associated with decrements in cognitive performance (Coffey et al., 2001; Coffey et al., 1992). Older adults commonly experience cognitive decline in a number of areas including information-processing speed, reasoning, and memory (Salthouse, SCHOLARLY REVIEWS