Mind-body exercise may sharpen thinking in mild cognitive impairment, network meta-analysis finds

Baduanjin, Tai Chi, Qigong and dance each showed measurable benefits for global cognition in people with mild cognitive impairment, according to a systematic review and network meta-analysis published in Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. The open-access paper, made available online on 2 November 2026, pooled results from 44 randomised controlled trials covering 3,189 patients with MCI, a condition marked by cognitive decline beyond normal ageing that does not yet meet the threshold for dementia.

The research team, led by Zhengxin Hui with co-authors including Liang Li, Yinping Zhang and Tonggang Fan, searched eight Chinese and English databases up to April 2026. Because the trials compared many different mind-body interventions against varied control groups, the authors used a frequency-based network meta-analysis, a statistical technique that estimates standardized mean differences with 95% confidence intervals and can combine both direct head-to-head comparisons and indirect comparisons across a connected network of trials. Interventions were then ranked using SUCRA values, the surface under the cumulative ranking curve, which expresses the probability that a treatment ranks among the best options for a given outcome.

For the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, or MoCA, a screening tool widely used to quantify global cognitive performance, the analysis showed that Baduanjin, Tai Chi, Qigong and dance were all significantly superior to the control group, with p values below 0.05. For the Mini-Mental State Examination, or MMSE, the older and shorter screening instrument, all three exercise types evaluated for that outcome except Qigong significantly outperformed control. In both cases the effects are expressed as standardized mean differences, meaning the size of the cognitive gain relative to the variability seen across patients rather than as raw score changes.

Baduanjin, a traditional Chinese exercise combining slow movements with breathing control, emerged as the top-ranked intervention on both instruments, holding a SUCRA value of 91.6% for the MoCA and 88.3% for the MMSE. Tai Chi, Qigong and dance also ranked favourably, but the authors emphasize that these rankings depend heavily on indirect comparisons, in which treatments are compared through their shared control groups rather than through trials that tested them directly against one another.

Subgroup analyses added a dose-response dimension to the findings. Baduanjin appeared most effective in programmes lasting twelve weeks or less, delivered more than three times per week, or in sessions shorter than 60 minutes. Tai Chi, by contrast, showed greater benefit in longer-term programmes exceeding twelve weeks, in lower-frequency schedules of three or fewer sessions per week, and in sessions lasting 60 minutes or more. The authors suggest this pattern may reflect differences in movement complexity and learning demands, though the paper presents these subgroup results as exploratory observations rather than confirmed causal mechanisms.

The team reported that sensitivity analyses produced robust results and that the risk of publication bias was low, meaning the pattern of available studies gave little indication that negative trials were missing from the literature. However, the certainty of the evidence was generally low when graded using formal assessment methods. Low certainty can arise from limitations in the original trials, inconsistency across studies, imprecision in effect estimates or the reliance on indirect evidence, and it means the true effect sizes may differ substantially from those calculated in this analysis.

The authors conclude that Baduanjin, Tai Chi, dance and Qigong may be beneficial for global cognition in individuals with MCI, with Baduanjin ranking highest in the SUCRA analysis and Tai Chi showing a potential advantage in longer-duration interventions. They explicitly caution that, given the low certainty of evidence and the reliance on indirect comparisons, these findings should be interpreted cautiously. The paper is currently available as a citable early-access version carrying a permanent DOI, subject to further edits before the final Version of Record appears.

For clinicians and researchers, the analysis offers a structured comparison of interventions that are rarely tested against each other in single trials, and it identifies dose parameters that future studies could examine directly. For people living with MCI and their families, the results add to a growing body of evidence that structured mind-body movement may support cognitive function, while stopping well short of recommending any specific practice as a proven therapy. The authors note that randomised controlled trials directly comparing these exercise forms at matched doses remain the key next step before firm clinical guidance can be drawn.

Subject of Research: Effects of mind-body exercise on cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment, assessed through a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

Article Title: Effects of mind-body exercise on cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

Article References: Hui, Z., Li, L., Zhang, Y., & Fan, T. (2026). Effects of mind-body exercise on cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-026-03559-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s40520-026-03559-1

Keywords: mild cognitive impairment, mind-body exercise, Baduanjin, Tai Chi, Qigong, dance, network meta-analysis, systematic review, cognitive function, MoCA, MMSE, SUCRA ranking