Exercise Training for Mild Cognitive Impairment Adults Older Than 60: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) continues to increase due to population aging. Exercise has been a supporting health strategy that may elicit beneficial effects on cognitive function and prevent dementia. Objective: This study aimed to examine the effects of aerobic, resistance, and multimodal exercise training on cognition in adults aged > 60 years with MCI. Methods: We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Embase databases and ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov) up to November 2021, with no language restrictions. We included all published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effect of exercise programs on cognitive function with any other active intervention or no intervention in participants with MCI aged > 60 years. Results: Twelve RCTs were included in this review. Meta-analysis results revealed significant improvements in resistance training on measures of executive function (p < 0.05) and attention (p < 0.05); no significant differences were observed between aerobic exercise and controls on any of the cognitive comparisons. Conclusion: Exercise training had a small beneficial effect on executive function and attention in older adults with MCI. Larger studies are required to examine the effects of exercise and the possible moderators.

Automated summary

Exercise training has a small beneficial effect on executive function and attention in older adults with MCI. Resistance training shows significant improvements in these cognitive measures, while the effects of aerobic exercise remain inconclusive.