SynthesisFrontiers in aging neuroscience2025
The efficacy versus evidence quality of multicomponent exercise for cognitive health in older adults: an umbrella review.
Synthesis in Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Introduction: Multicomponent exercise (MCE) is a promising strategy for enhancing cognitive function in older adults. This umbrella review aimed to synthesize and critically appraise the evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the effects of multicomponent physical exercise on cognition in this population. Methods: An umbrella review of systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis was conducted. Six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and the Cochrane Library) were searched from their inception to September 2025 to identify eligible studies. The methodological quality of the included reviews was assessed using the AMSTAR-2 tool, and the overall certainty of the evidence for key outcomes was evaluated using the GRADE framework. Results: The synthesis included 27 systematic reviews. MCE demonstrated consistently statistically significant, moderate positive effects on global cognitive function (SMD = 0.45) and executive function (SMD = 0.31). regarding memory, while the overall effect and verbal memory showed significant improvements, specific sub-domains such as working memory and delayed memory did not reach statistical significance. Similarly, no significant effect was observed for attention/processing speed. Despite these positive findings, the methodological quality of the majority of the included reviews (22 of 27) was rated as "Low" or "Critically Low" by AMSTAR-2. Consequently, the certainty of the evidence according to GRADE was predominantly "Low" to "Very Low" for most cognitive outcomes, with "Moderate" certainty achieved only for global cognitive function. Conclusion: Multicomponent exercise is an effective intervention for improving global cognitive function and executive function in older adults. While benefits for specific memory domains and processing speed were less consistent, these findings support the clinical and public health promotion of MCE, while simultaneously highlighting an urgent need for more methodologically rigorous research to solidify the evidence base. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/ CRD420251161230, identifier CRD420251161230.
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