Effects of motor-cognitive training on cognitive function and gait performance in older adults with dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Motor-cognitive training combines motor and cognitive tasks during the training. So far, its effectiveness on cognitive function and gait in people with dementia remains unknown, and whether it is superior to single physical or cognitive training has yet to be investigated. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to explore the effects of motor-cognitive training on cognitive function and gait in people with dementia. Randomized controlled trials comparing motor-cognitive training with cognitive intervention alone, physical exercise alone, or other control group programs were included. Outcomes included cognitive functions and single/dual task gait performance. We conducted subgroup analysis based on the type of intervention applied in the control group. The pooled meta-analysis showed significant improvements following motor-cognitive training compared to control interventions in global cognition (SMD = 1.00, 95% CI 0.75, 1.26, p < 0.00001), single gait speed (SMD = 0.4, 95% CI 0.19, 0.61, p = 0.0002), and dual-task gait speed (SMD = 0.28, 95% CI 0.01, 0.55, p = 0.05). In the subgroup analysis, motor-cognitive training exerted significantly more improvement in global cognition and single gait speed when compared to either physical or cognitive training alone, or other control. Our results demonstrated the positive effects of motor-cognitive training on global cognition and gait speed in people with dementia. However, no significant improvements were observed in memory, attention, or executive function.