Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41781921›Full record

SynthesisBMC geriatrics2026

Feasibility of high intensity exercise training in people with dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: a systematic review.

Claudia Baschirotto, Massimo Venturelli, Anna Pedrinolla

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Claudia BaschirottoDepartment of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Massimo VenturelliDepartment of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Anna PedrinollaDepartment of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology - CIBIO, University of Trento, Trento, Italy. anna.pedrinolla@unitn.it.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe number of people with dementia is around 50 million worldwide and this number is expected to grow in the coming decades. To date, scientific evidence suggests that physical activity is an encouraging aid in slowing down the progression of dementia and has positive effects on many aspects: metabolic, independence in activities of daily living (ADLs), cognitive and muscle strength. However, few studies analyze the feasibility and the effects of high-intensity exercise programs in people with dementia. The aim is to synthesize evidence on the feasibility of high-intensity exercise training (HIET) in people with dementia and/or Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and to evaluate its effects on cognition, physical performance, ADLs, neuropsychiatric symptoms and quality of life.

methodsClinical trials and RCTs published up to March 2025 were selected through searches in PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar, using MeSH terms related to dementia and high-intensity physical exercise. Studies involving people with dementia and/or MCI undergoing high-intensity aerobic and/or strength training were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the PEDro scale, and risk of bias was evaluated with the Cochrane RoB 2 tool.

results21 studies met inclusion criteria, including participants with dementia and/or MCI. Feasibility was generally supported and the dropout rate was 13% with high adherence to the programs. Regarding effectiveness, HIET showed cognitive improvements in some studies, while others reported no significant effects. Physical performance, such as walking speed and balance, improved, but there were no significant changes in activities of daily living or quality of life.

conclusionsThe results of the literature analyzed show that HIET can be proposed to this population, furthermore it benefits on many parameters of interest. It can be concluded that HIET could be taken into consideration for training people with dementia and/or MCI.

Indexed as

Cognitive DysfunctionDementiaExerciseExercise TherapyHigh-Intensity Interval TrainingActivities of Daily LivingFeasibility StudiesHumansQuality of LifeRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicDementiaExerciseHigh intensity

Identifiers

PMID41781921
PMCPMC13067746

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.