Interventions for subjective cognitive decline: systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Gerontology

Background:

• Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a growing concern, impacting psychological well-being and cognitive function.
• Interventions for SCD aim to improve psychological well-being, metacognition, and objective cognitive performance.
• A comprehensive review of existing evidence is crucial to guide future research and clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effectiveness of various interventions for subjective cognitive decline (SCD).
• To assess the impact of psychological, cognitive, lifestyle, and pharmacological interventions on psychological well-being, metacognition, and objective cognitive performance.
• To identify gaps in the research and highlight the need for high-quality studies.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Systematic Reviews was conducted up to August 2017.
• Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating interventions for SCD were included and categorized.
• Risk of bias was assessed, and random-effects meta-analyses were performed where data permitted.

Main Results:

• Sixteen studies with sufficient data were included in meta-analyses; only seven were high quality.
• Group psychological interventions significantly improved psychological well-being (g=0.40, p=0.03) but not metacognition (g=0.26, p=0.28).
• Cognitive training showed a small, significant improvement in objective cognitive performance (g=0.13, p=0.03), but this was not significant for global measures or with active controls.

Conclusions:

• High-quality research on interventions for SCD is lacking.
• Group psychological interventions appear beneficial for psychological well-being and potentially metacognition.
• Current evidence does not support cognitive interventions for global cognitive performance improvement; further high-quality research is needed.