 A study conducted by researchers at the University of Hong Kong have found that an ancient Chinese practice called Qigun improves cognitive abilities in elderly subjects. Qigun is a traditional Chinese practice that combines many aspects of meditation with mild exercise, while similar practices have traditionally been disregarded by Western medicine. In recent years, many studies have focused on the benefits of meditation and similar practices. In this study, the researchers followed two groups of about 25 people each for two weeks. The treatment group attended Qigun sessions, whereas the control group had simple stretching in similar amounts. According to the authors, the Qigun group saw a statistically significant increase in information processing speed. Sustained attention and their hippocampi became larger, which is good as hippocampal shrinkage has been associated with cognitive decline, and none of these effects were seen in the control group. See the full video at youtube.com.