Dance Versus Other Exercise Modalities in Cognitive Impairment Meta-Analysis

209 randomized controlled trials with 3,773 participants were analyzed in a systematic review and network meta-analysis. The study compares dance to other exercise modalities for outcomes like global cognition, working memory, and physical performance in individuals with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. It was authored by Ye Zhao and published on figshare in 2026.

Use Cases

• Compare the Surface Under the Cumulative Ranking Curve (SUCRA) rankings for dance versus other modalities on global cognition measured by MoCA.
• Analyze the standardized mean differences from pairwise meta-analyses for specific outcomes like psychological wellbeing or physical performance.
• Examine the network meta-analysis results to identify where dance ranked first or second, such as for working memory and attention outcomes.
• Investigate the evidence base for favorable SUCRA results, noting which were driven by single dance studies as mentioned in the conclusions.

Strengths

• The analysis is based on 209 randomized controlled trials, providing a substantial evidence base.
• The study reports specific outcomes like global cognition, working memory, attention, and physical performance with standardized metrics.
• It employs both pairwise and network meta-analysis methods within a random-effects model for comparative efficacy.

Limitations

• The dataset is a single 322.3 KB PDF file, not a structured tabular dataset, limiting direct computational analysis.
• Several favorable ranking results for dance are noted as being driven by single studies, indicating potential evidence sparsity for some conclusions.
• The underlying participant-level data from the 3,773 individuals across 209 trials is not provided, only the aggregated analysis results.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Ye Zhao.

Collection Method

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

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated in March 2026.

Geography

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