Cognitive training improves MoCA scores in older adults with MCI
MoCA scores improved more with added cognitive training than active control at 3 months (β = 0.525) and 12 months (β = 1.627).
Research Square
In this randomized controlled trial reported in a preprint, 146 older adults with mild cognitive impairment were assigned to an active control program or an added cognitive intervention. Both groups received cognitive-health education, home-based cognitive activities, and standardized physical exercise. The intervention group additionally received 12 weeks of supervised, structured multidomain cognitive training with individualized starting levels and progressive adjustment of task difficulty. Participants receiving structured training showed greater improvement in Montreal Cognitive Assessment total scores than controls at 3 months (β = 0.525; 95% CI, 0.227 to 0.822) and 12 months (β = 1.627; 95% CI, 1.325 to 1.929). However, the trial showed no consistent between-group differences in depressive symptoms, instrumental functioning, or physical performance. Exploratory analyses suggested greater gains in attention at both follow-ups, as well as language and abstraction at 12 months.
Why it matters
Multimodal lifestyle interventions are widely evaluated to counter age-related cognitive decline, and these findings suggest that adding structured cognitive exercises may enhance global cognition in individuals with mild cognitive impairment.
Caveats
This work is a preprint based on a cohort of 146 participants, and the observed cognitive gains did not produce consistent improvements in everyday instrumental functioning or physical performance.
The paper
University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City
Research Square · 30 Sep 2026 · Preprint, not peer-reviewed