The neurocognitive and BDNF changes of multicomponent exercise for community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Our goal was to examine whether multicomponent exercise performed by older adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia as group-based exercise in community have beneficial effects on cognition and brain-derived neurotrophic factor. Eight studies were identified through Emabase, Medline, PubMed. Searches combined terms for neurocognitive and biochemical changes with those for MCI and dementia. Data were extracted and checked by a second reviewer, systematically reviewed, and meta analyzed where appropriate. There was significant difference in favor of multicomponent exercise in cognition (WMD:0.18; 95%CI:0.02-0.34), attention (SMD=2.16; 95%CI:1.2to3.12) and executive function (SMD =0.80; 95%CI: 0.28to1.31), but not in memory. However, there was limited reporting of the effects of multicomponent exercise on depression and brain-derived neurotrophic factor for this group of people. In conclusion, this meta-analysis indicated that group exercises improve cognition, attention and executive function in community-dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer's disease.