Nonpharmacologic Approaches to Improving or Preserving Cognitive Function

Continuing uncertainty and controversy about drug treatments for people with dementia have encouraged patients and clinicians to explore nonpharmacologic approaches to preserving or improving cognitive function. In 2023, NEJM Journal Watch General Medicine reviewed six studies that addressed this issue in various populations and stages of cognitive impairment.

In a randomized trial of 175 adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), researchers compared various combinations of aerobic/resistance exercise, cognitive training, and vitamin D supplementation. The groups that received any combination of exercise or cognitive training had statistically significant, but numerically small, improvement in cognition (1–3 points on an 85-point scale), …