Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials assessing the impact of Baduanjin exercise on cognition and memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment

Abstract

Objective:

To determine the effectiveness of Baduanjin exercise in improving cognition and memory in patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Data sources:

Relevant English- and Chinese-language studies published until 15^th September 2020 were retrieved from the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, EBSCOhost, OVID, National Knowledge Infrastructure, WANFANG DATA, VIP Information, and SinoMed databases.

Review methods:

Randomized controlled trials assessing Baduanjin exercise in patients with mild cognitive impairment were included. Two researchers independently identified eligible studies and extracted data. Risk-of-bias assessment was performed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool.

Results:

This study included 16 randomized controlled trials (1054 participants) from China that used Chinese versions of standardized tests. Most studies had no significant bias, and only one study had a high risk of bias in the random allocation category. Compared with conventional therapy alone, Baduanjin plus conventional therapy significantly improved the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Mini-Mental State Examination scores after 6 months of treatment (P < 0.00001 for both), significantly decreased the tau/Aβ_1–42 ratio in the cerebrospinal fluid (P < 0.00001), and significantly improved some dimensional scores on the Wechsler Memory Scale and the auditory verbal learning test scores at 6 months (P < 0.05 for all).

Conclusion:

Compared with conventional therapy, Baduanjin plus conventional therapy significantly improved cognitive and memory function in patients with mild cognitive impairment.