BACKGROUND
The global population is experiencing rapid aging. To maintain current cognitive function and access greater cognitive reserves, nonpharmacological interventions could serve as a viable alternative for older adults with or without cognitive impairment. However, there is a lack of research comparing the efficacy of existing interventions in improving global cognition in older adults.
OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to compare different nonpharmacological interventions for enhancing global cognition, including mind-body exercise, noninvasive brain stimulation, cognitive training intervention, acutherapy, meditation, and music therapy, by applying a network meta-analysis.
METHODS
Fifty-eight randomized controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of interventions on global cognition in older adults with or without mild cognitive decline were selected. A network meta-analysis was conducted to provide the comparative efficacy of different nonpharmacological interventions. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to estimate data quality, and the therapeutic mechanisms of each intervention were reviewed.
RESULTS
The network meta-analysis revealed that mind-body exercise with 0.667 (95% CI, 0.256-1.078), ACU intervention with 0.667 (95% CI, 0.256-1.078), meditation with 0.643 (95% CI, 0.234-1.052), non-invasive brain stimulation with 0.566 (95% CI, 0.040; 1.091), cognitive training intervention (CTI) with 0.591 (95% CI, 0.323-0.858), and physical exercise with 0.552 (95% CI, 0.165-0.940) showed positive effects compared to passive controls. Moreover, the mind-body exercise (P score = 0.8162) had the more significant effect than other interventions for improving global cognition. However, no statistically significant differences were observed among the other interventions.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings suggest that nonpharmacological interventions, especially mind-body exercises, may be a potential strategy for enhancing and maintaining global cognition in the older population, although additional studies are needed to clarify the impact of other variables, including intervention methods or psychological variables.