Dance Versus Other Exercise Modalities for Cognitive Impairment Meta-Analysis

A systematic review and network meta-analysis includes 209 randomized controlled trials with 3,773 participants. It compares dance to other exercise modalities for cognitive function, psychological wellbeing, and physical performance in individuals with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The analysis calculates standardized mean differences and p-values using pairwise and network meta-analysis within a random-effects model.

Use Cases

• Compare standardized mean differences for dance versus other exercise modalities on primary outcomes like global cognition (MoCA) and working memory.
• Rank exercise interventions using Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve (SUCRA) values for outcomes such as physical performance and mood.
• Analyze the statistical significance (p-values) of dance interventions identified in pairwise meta-analyses across 209 included trials.
• Investigate the comparative efficacy of dance on specific cognitive domains like executive function and speed/attention control based on network meta-analysis rankings.

Strengths

• Analysis is based on 209 randomized controlled trials, providing a broad evidence base.
• Includes data from 3,773 total participants across the reviewed studies.
• Employs both pairwise and network meta-analysis methods to compare multiple exercise modalities.

Limitations

• Several favorable ranking results for dance are noted as being driven by single studies, indicating potential evidence sparsity.
• The dataset is a single PDF document (915.4 KB) containing summary results, not the underlying raw trial data.
• The network meta-analysis found no statistically significant advantages for dance over other modalities for any primary outcome.

Provenance

Source

Figshare, authored by Ye Zhao.

Collection Method

Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials from five databases.

Freshness

Last updated March 25, 2026.