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Effect of computerised cognitive training on cognitive outcomes in mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Zhang H, Huntley J, Bhome R, Holmes B, Cahill J, Gould RL, Wang H, Yu X et al.. BMJ open, 2019-08-18
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To determine the effect of computerised cognitive training (CCT) on improving cognitive function for older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cochrane Library were searched through January 2018. Eligibility criteria Randomised controlled trials comparing CCT with control conditions in those with MCI aged 55+ were included. Data extraction and synthesis Two independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the risk of bias. Effect sizes (Hedges' g and 95% CIs) were calculated and random-effects meta-analyses were performed where three or more studies investigated a comparable intervention and outcome. Heterogeneity was quantified using the I 2 statistic. Results 18 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analyses, involving 690 participants. Meta-analysis revealed small to moderate positive treatment effects compared with control interventions in four domains as follows: global cognitive function (g=0.23, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.44), memory (g=0.30, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.50), working memory (g=0.39, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.66) and executive function (g=0.20, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.43). Statistical significance was reached in all domains apart from executive function. Conclusions This meta-analysis provides evidence that CCT improves cognitive function in older people with MCI. However, the long-term transfer of these improvements and the potential to reduce dementia prevalence remains unknown. Various methodological issues such as heterogeneity in outcome measures, interventions and MCI symptoms and lack of intention-to-treat analyses limit the quality of the literature and represent areas for future research.
Key findings
- Results 18 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analyses, involving 690 participants.
- Meta-analysis revealed small to moderate positive treatment effects compared with control interventions in four domains as follows: global cognitive function (g=0.23, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.44), memory (g=0.30, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.50), working memory (g=0.39, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.66) and executive function (g=0.20, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.43).
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Study details
- Study designsystematic review
- Participants690
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 78/100
Published in a peer-reviewed 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. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record and multi-centre collaboration, so those were left out: it earned 45 of the 58 points we could judge it on, which is 78 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMJ open) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| 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 | 2 / 5 | 2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 690 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 | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 31427316) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 45 / 58 | Scored on 11 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 45 of the 58 points we could judge it on is 78 out of 100. |
| Total | 78 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Zhang, H., Huntley, J., Bhome, R., Holmes, B., Cahill, J., Gould, R. L., et al. (2019). Effect of computerised cognitive training on cognitive outcomes in mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027062
Vancouver
Zhang H, Huntley J, Bhome R, Holmes B, Cahill J, Gould RL, et al. Effect of computerised cognitive training on cognitive outcomes in mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ open. 2019. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027062. PMID: 31427316.
BibTeX
@article{zhang2019-31427316,
author = {Zhang, H. and Huntley, J. and Bhome, R. and Holmes, B. and Cahill, J. and Gould, R. L. and Wang, H. and Yu, X. and others},
title = {{Effect of computerised cognitive training on cognitive outcomes in mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis}},
journal = {BMJ open},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027062},
pmid = {31427316},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027062}
}
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