The effects of structured aerobic exercise and mind-body exercise on cognitive function in older adults with MCI: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mind-body exercise significantly improved all three cognitive outcome measures compared to controls in older adults with MCI.

• MMSE improvement: MD = 1.27, 95% CI: 0.99–1.55, P < .01
• MoCA improvement: MD = 1.89, 95% CI: 0.78–3.00, P = .0008
• ADAS-Cog improvement: MD = -2.09, 95% CI: -2.94 to -1.25, P < .00001
• Mind-body exercise types included tai chi, yoga, and dance
• Analysis conducted using random- or fixed-effects meta-analyses in RevMan 5.4.1

Structured aerobic exercise showed non-significant effects on MMSE and MoCA, with only modest improvement on ADAS-Cog.

• MMSE effect was non-significant: MD = 0.37, P = .21
• MoCA effect was non-significant: MD = -0.49, P = .26
• ADAS-Cog showed a statistically significant but modest improvement: MD = -1.41, P = .002
• Structured aerobic exercise types included walking and cycling

Twenty-six randomized controlled trials with a total of 2,555 participants were included in the meta-analysis.

• All included studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
• Total sample size was n = 2,555
• Participants were older adults aged over 50 years with MCI
• Search sources included PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library
• Outcome measures were MMSE, MoCA, and ADAS-Cog

Subgroup analyses identified optimal mind-body exercise parameters for cognitive benefit in MCI patients.

• Optimal intervention duration was identified as ≥20 weeks
• Optimal session length was identified as ≥60 minutes per session
• Optimal frequency was identified as ≥3 times per week
• These parameters were derived from subgroup analyses examining intervention parameters

The meta-analysis identified heterogeneity and geographic bias as key limitations warranting confirmation through multicenter trials.

• Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic
• The authors noted geographic bias as a limitation of the included studies
• The authors recommended multicenter trials to confirm findings
• Random- or fixed-effects models were selected based on heterogeneity assessment