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Cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia
Woods B, Aguirre E, Spector AE, Orrell M.. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2012-02-15
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
RO emphasised the engagement of nursing assistants in a hopeful, therapeutic process but became associated with a rigid, confrontational approach to people with dementia, leading to its use becoming less and less common.Cognitive stimulation is often discussed in normal ageing as well as in dementia. Main results Fifteen RCTs were included in the review. A clear, consistent benefit on cognitive function was associated with cognitive stimulation (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.41, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.57).
Key findings
- RO emphasised the engagement of nursing assistants in a hopeful, therapeutic process but became associated with a rigid, confrontational approach to people with dementia, leading to its use becoming less and less common.Cognitive stimulation is often discussed in normal ageing as well as in dementia.
- Main results Fifteen RCTs were included in the review.
- A clear, consistent benefit on cognitive function was associated with cognitive stimulation (standardised mean difference (SMD) 0.41, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.57).
Why it matters
Across 15 randomized trials, cognitive stimulation was associated with a clear, consistent benefit on cognitive function in people with dementia. This supports cognitive stimulation as a way to improve cognitive functioning, but it does not indicate a cure or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Study designsystematic review
- Participants718
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 75/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a systematic review of all the studies on the question. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (The Cochrane database of systematic reviews) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews: journal h-index 468 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A systematic review of all the studies on the question |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2012 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 718 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 836 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 52.2 citations a year over 16 year(s) since 2012 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 37.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 3 / 6 | Cited by 24 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 117 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Martin William Orrell: h-index 88 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University College London: institution h-index 2,029 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 22336813) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 75 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd005562.pub2
- PubMed: 22336813
- Original source →
- Free full text: UCL Discovery (University College London) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Woods, B., Aguirre, E., Spector, A. E., & Orrell, M. (2012). Cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd005562.pub2
Vancouver
Woods B, Aguirre E, Spector AE, Orrell M. Cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2012. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd005562.pub2. PMID: 22336813.
BibTeX
@article{woods2012-22336813,
author = {Woods, B. and Aguirre, E. and Spector, A. E. and Orrell, M.},
title = {{Cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia}},
journal = {The Cochrane database of systematic reviews},
year = {2012},
doi = {10.1002/14651858.cd005562.pub2},
pmid = {22336813},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd005562.pub2}
}
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