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Potential Benefits of Physical Activity in MCI and Dementia
Nuzum H, Stickel A, Corona M, Zeller M, Melrose RJ, Wilkins SS.. Behavioural neurology, 2020-02-12
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Physical activity improves overall health and reduces the risk of many negative health outcomes and may be effective in improving cognition, independent functioning, and psychological health in older adults. Given the evidence linking physical activity with improvements in various aspects of health and functioning, interventions exploring pathways for decreasing risk of dementia in those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and improving outcomes for those with dementia are of critical importance. The present review highlights the work examining physical activity interventions in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the potential benefits of physical activity for individuals experiencing cognitive decline. The primary focus is on aerobic exercise as this is the main intervention in the literature. Our review supports the thesis that physical activity can promote healthy aging in terms of cognition, independent functioning, and psychological health for individuals experiencing cognitive decline. Specifically, physical activity improves cognition, especially executive functioning and memory in MCI, independent functioning in MCI and dementia, and psychological health in dementia. Given that benefits of physical activity have been observed across these domains, such interventions provide an avenue for preventing decline and/or mitigating impairment across several domains of functioning in older adults with MCI or dementia and may be recommended (and adjusted) for patients across a range of settings, including medical and mental health settings. Further implications for clinical intervention and future directions for research are discussed.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Nuzum, H., Stickel, A., Corona, M., Zeller, M., Melrose, R. J., & Wilkins, S. S. (2020). Potential Benefits of Physical Activity in MCI and Dementia. Behavioural neurology. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/7807856
Vancouver
Nuzum H, Stickel A, Corona M, Zeller M, Melrose RJ, Wilkins SS. Potential Benefits of Physical Activity in MCI and Dementia. Behavioural neurology. 2020. doi:10.1155/2020/7807856. PMID: 32104516.
BibTeX
@article{nuzum2020-32104516,
author = {Nuzum, H. and Stickel, A. and Corona, M. and Zeller, M. and Melrose, R. J. and Wilkins, S. S.},
title = {{Potential Benefits of Physical Activity in MCI and Dementia}},
journal = {Behavioural neurology},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1155/2020/7807856},
pmid = {32104516},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/7807856}
}
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Key findings
- Physical activity improves overall health and reduces the risk of many negative health outcomes and may be effective in improving cognition, independent functioning, and psychological health in older adults.
Why it matters
This review concludes that physical activity can improve cognition, especially executive functioning and memory, in people with mild cognitive impairment, and can improve independent functioning and psychological health in people with dementia. It does not show that physical activity cures or prevents Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Behavioural neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Behavioural Neurology: journal h-index 80 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 2 / 5 | 2020 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 248 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 31.0 citations a year over 8 year(s) since 2020 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 20.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 116 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Stacy Schantz Wilkins: h-index 16 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, Los Angeles: institution h-index 1,923 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 4 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 32104516) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1155/2020/7807856
- PubMed: 32104516
- Original source →
- Free full text: Behavioural Neurology →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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