Motor Learning in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review

The purpose of this systematic review was to synthesize the current evidence on motor learning in mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A search of five databases returned a total of 6058 references, 10 of which met criteria for inclusion in this review. The existing evidence was notably variable with an overall moderate risk of bias. Eight articles compared behavioral motor learning outcomes in MCI and age matched, non-cognitively impaired (NCI) samples. In 37.5% of these studies, the degree of motor skill acquisition in the MCI group was statistically significantly less than in the NCI group. Skill retention was only compared between MCI and NCI samples in one article, which reported a relative reduction in MCI group performance following a 24-h, no-practice delay. Importantly, none of the included articles examined motor skill transfer. We discuss possible sources of heterogeneity among collective findings including variability in motor tasks, outcome measurement, and research design. Further research is needed to support a comprehensive understanding of motor learning in the early stages of age-related cognitive decline. Future investigations should emphasize functional motor tasks and clinically relevant learning outcomes, including retention and transfer of motor skills, while controlling for potentially confounding factors such as motivation and sleep performance. This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews (registration ID CRD42023417329).