Mind-body exercise results varied across thinking skills in older adults
In older adults with or without mild cognitive impairment, pooled studies reported improvements in several cognitive domains but no clear improvement in attention. The abstract does not identify the control comparisons.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
The review reported improvements in spatial construction skills and several memory and thinking measures among older adults, while attention showed no clear improvement. Results also differed by participants' cognitive status and exercise type. Missing comparator and follow-up details prevent a firm conclusion about which practice offers a lasting or practically meaningful advantage.
The abstract gives no assessment timing or control-group descriptions, and uncertainty intervals are absent for most reported effects. The authors called for standardized intervention programs and longer-term follow-up.
Cognition has separate components
Spatial construction concerns working with shapes and their arrangement. Memory, attention and executive function—the management of thinking and tasks—were assessed separately. Improvement in some test domains does not establish improvement across every aspect of cognition.
The attention result matters
The attention estimate's uncertainty interval included both negative and positive effects, so an improvement was not clearly demonstrated. Participants with mild cognitive impairment showed larger reported changes in some domains, but that does not establish benefit for every participant.
The original publication
A Meta-Analysis of Studies of the Effect of Mind Body Exercise on Various Domains of Cognitive Function in Older People With or Without Mild Cognitive Impairment.
Suk JW, Kim K, Kim JU
J Evid Based Integr Med · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40767037
- Record checked
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