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Updated: Aug 15, 2025

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
Association of nonpharmacological interventions for cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive
Xueyan Liu1, Guangpeng Wang2, Yingjuan Cao3
1School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, 44 Wenhuaxi Road, Lixia District, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
Background:
Understanding the effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions to improve cognitive function in older adults with MCI and identifying the best intervention may help inform ideas for future RCT studies and clinical decision-making.
Aim:
The main focus of this study was to assess the comparative effectiveness of nonpharmacological interventions on cognitive function in older adults with MCI and to rank the interventions.
Methods:
RCT studies until September 2022 were searched from six databases, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO and CINAHL. The risk of bias in eligible trials was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Both pairwise and network meta-analyses were used, and pooled effect sizes were reported using SMD and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals.
Results:
A total of 28 RCT studies were included in this study, pooling 18 categories of nonpharmacological interventions. MBE (mind-body exercise) (SMD (standard mean difference): 0.24, 95% CI: 0.08-0.41, P = 0.004), DTE (dual-task exercise) (SMD: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.09-1.13, P = 0.02), PE (physical exercise) (SMD: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.04-1.12, P = 0.03) may be effective in improving cognitive function in older adults with MCI. Acupressure + CT (cognitive training) was the top-ranked intervention among all interventions. No greater benefits of MA (mindful awareness) on cognitive function were found.
Conclusions:
Overall, nonpharmacological interventions significantly improved cognitive function in older adults with MCI. Acupressure + CT(cognitive training) was the most effective intervention for managing cognitive impairment. Future studies with high quality and large sample size RCT studies are needed to confirm our results.
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