Effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Systematic Review

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/apl/a.16174

Article Sidebar

Published: May 15, 2026
Issue: Vol. 43 No. 3 (2025)
Section Artículos


Keywords: cognitive stimulation cognitive impairment older adults aging

Main Article Content

Authors

  Lisbeth Anshela Tapie Reinoso
Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador
  Lizbeth Katherine Cabrera León
Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Ecuador.

Abstract

The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive stimulation programs in older adults aged ≥65 years with mild cognitive impairment. The review included experimental and quasi-experimental studies published between 2018 and 2024 involving older adults with mild cognitive impairment; studies focusing on established dementia, pharmacological interventions, and other neurological conditions were excluded. The search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and methodological quality was assessed using the JBI (Joanna Briggs Institute) critical appraisal tool to ensure transparency and integrity in the presentation of results. Following the identification, screening, and eligibility process, 14 studies were included in the narrative synthesis, grouped into three categories: technological and virtual reality interventions, structured multidomain programs, and reminiscence therapies; demonstrating that cognitive stimulation improves global cognition and specific functions such as working memory, divided attention, verbal fluency, and temporo-spatial orientation; technological tools show results similar to traditional programs; while interventions with affective components (reminiscence) enhance cognitive performance and emotional well-being. Effectiveness depends on intensity, duration, baseline impairment, and sociocultural context. Although some studies had small sample sizes and limited follow-up periods, the results support cognitive stimulation as a useful non-pharmacological strategy for promoting active aging and preserving cognitive function, especially when it is personalized, multi-domain, and sustained over time. The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines.

How to Cite
Tapie Reinoso, L. A., & Cabrera León, L. K. (2026). Effectiveness of Cognitive Stimulation in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment: Systematic Review. Avances En Psicología Latinoamericana, 43(3). https://doi.org/10.12804/revistas.urosario.edu.co/apl/a.16174
References

Austria-Reyes, A., Santander-Hernández, J., Maya-Sánchez, A., Cano-Estrada, E., & López-Nolasco, B. (2021). Nivel de deterioro cognitivo del adulto mayor de la comunidad de Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo, México. Revista de Enfermería Neurológica,20(1),45-48. https://doi.org/10.51422/ren.v20i1.324

Blázquez, J., Galparsoro, N., González, B., Lubrini, G., Muñoz, E., Periáñez, J., Ríos, M., Sánchez, I., Tirapu, J., & Zulaica, A. (2009). Estimulación cognitiva y rehabilitación neuropsicológica. Editorial UOC.

Borrego-Ruiz, A. (2024). Una revisión crítica sobre la aplicación de estimulación cognitiva en el contexto gerontológico. Escritos de Psicología, 17(1), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.24310/escpsi.17.1.2024.18566

Buele, J., Avilés-Castillo, F., Valle-Soto, C., Varela-Aldás, J., & Palacios-Navarro, G. (2024). Effects of a dual intervention (motor and virtual reality-based cognitive) on cognition in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 21 (130), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12984-024-01422-w

Calatayud, E., Gómez-Cabello, A., & Gómez-Soria, I. (2021). Análisis del efecto de un programa de estimulación cognitiva en adultos mayores con cognición normal: Ensayo clínico aleatorizado. Anales del Sistema Sanitario de Navarra, 44(3), 361–372. https://doi.org/10.23938/assn.0961

Calatayud, E., Jimenez Sánchez, C., Calvo, S., Brandin de la Cruz, N., Herrero, P., & Gómez Soria, I. (2022). Effectiveness of cognitive stimulation personalized by the preexisting cognitive level in older adults: a randomized clinical trial. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation 38(1),73-80. https://zaguan.unizar.es/record/125736

Carcelén-Fraile, M., Llera, A., Aibar-Almazán, A., Afanado-Restrepo, F., Baena-Maín, M., Hita-Contreras, F., Brandao-Loureiro, V., García-Garro, P., & Castellote-Caballero, Y. (2022). Cognitive stimulation as alternative treatment to improve psychological disorders in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 11(14), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11143947

Castellote-Caballero, Y., Carcelén-Fraile, M., Aibar-Almazán, A., Afanado-Restrepo, F., & González-Martín, A. (2024). Effect of combined physical–cognitive training on the functional and cognitive capacity of older people with mild cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Medicine, 22(281),1-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-024-03469-x

Cohen, R. A., Marsiske, M. M., & Smith, G. E. (2019). Neuropsychology of aging. In Handbook of Clinical Neurology (Vol. 167, pp. 149–180). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-804766-8.00009-2

Chen, Y., Denny, K. G., Harvey, D., Tomaszewski Farias, S., Mungas, D., & DeCarli, C. (2017). Progression from normal cognition to mild cognitive impairment in a diverse clinic-based and community-based elderly cohort. Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 13(4), 399–405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2016.07.151

Dumas, J. A. (2017). Strategies for preventing cognitive decline in healthy older adults. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 62(11), 754–760. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743717720809

Duque, P. A., Doris, & Henao, O. M. (2022). Efectividad de un programa de estimulación cognitiva en la prevención del deterioro mental en los adultos mayores. Archivos de Medicina, 22(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.30554/archmed.22.1.3979.2022

Embon - Magal, S., Krasovsky, T., Doron, I., Asraf, K., Haimov, I., Gil, E., & Agmon, M. (2022). The effect of co-dependent (thinking in motion [TIM]) versus single-modality (CogniFit) interventions on cognition and gait among community-dwelling older adults with cognitive impairment: a randomized controlled study. BMC geriatrics, 22(1), 720. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-03403-x

Gates, N., Karim, S., Rutjes, A., Ware, J., Chong, L., March, E., & Vernooij, R. (2016). Computerised cognition-based interventions for maintaining cognitive function in cognitively healthy people in late life [protocol]. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (7). https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012278

Gil, I., Santos-Costa, P., Bobrowicz-Campos, E., Silva, R., de Lurdes Almeida, M., & Apóstolo, J. (2022). Effectiveness of reminiscence therapy versus cognitive stimulation therapy in older adults with cognitive decline: a quasi-experimental pilot study. Nursing Reports, 12, 339–347. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep12020033

Gómez-Soria, I., Andrés-Esteban, E., Gómez-Bruton, A., & Peralta-Marrupe, P. (2021). Análisis del efecto a largo plazo de un programa de estimulación cognitiva en mayores con deterioro cognitivo leve en Atención Primaria: ensayo controlado aleatorizado. Atención Primaria,53 (7), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aprim.2021.102053

Gómez-Soria, I., Brandín-de la Cruz, N., Cuenca Zaldívar, J. N., Calvo, S., Herrero, P., & Calatayud, E. (2022). Effectiveness of personalized cognitive stimulation in older adults with mild possible cognitive impairment: a 12-month follow-up cognitive stimulation in mild cognitive impairment. Clinical gerontologist, 45(4), 878–890. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2021.1937764

Gómez-Soria, I., Ferreira, C., Oliván- Blázquez, B., Aguilar-Latorre, A., & Calatayud, E. (2023). Effects of cognitive stimulation program on cognition and mood in older adults, stratified by cognitive levels: A randomized controlled trial. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 110, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2023.104984.

Gozdas, E., Avelar-Pereira, B., Fingerhut, H., Dacorro, L., Jo, B., Williams, L., O'Hara, R., & Hosseini, S. M. H. (2024). Long-term cognitive training enhances fluid cognition and brain connectivity in individuals with MCI. Translational psychiatry, 14(1), 447. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-024-03153-x

Liao, Y., Tseng, H., Lin, Y., Wang, C., & Hsu, W. (2020). Using virtual reality-based training to improve cognitive function, instrumental activities of daily living and neural efficiency in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 56(1), 47–57. https://doi.org/

23736/S1973-9087.19.05899-4

López, M., Ponce, N., Cruz, M., & Gaitán, M. (2023). Prevalencia de deterioro cognitivo en personas adultas mayores de 60 años a 65 años en la unidad de medicina familiar no.53 de león, guanajuato. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica Multidisciplinar, 7 (6),4043-56. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v7i6.8975

Mamani, R., Roque, E., Colque, N., & Solorzano, M. (2023). Actividad física y el deterioro cognitivo en adultos mayores. Revista Ciencias de la Actividad Física UCM, 24(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.29035/rcaf.24.1.8

Organización Mundial de la Salud [OMS]. (2025, 31 de marzo). Demencia. https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia

Organización Mundial de la Salud [OMS]. (2024, 1 de octubre). Envejecimiento y salud https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health

Parra Rizo, M. A. (2020). Efectos de la intensidad física practicada en un mayor consumo de ocio en hombres mayores de 60 años: Envejecimiento activo y ocio. Anuario de Psicología / The UB Journal of Psychology, 50(3), 127–134. https://doi.org/10.1344/ANPSIC2020.50.12

Pereiro, A. X., & Bugallo Carrera, C. (2024). Equivalencia de las formas alternativas del ‘Montreal Cognitive Assessment’ (MoCA) en el cribado del deterioro cognitivo en adultos mayores: una revisión sistemática. Anuario de Psicología / The UB Journal of Psychology, 54(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1344/ANPSIC2024.54/1.2

Petersen, R. C. (2016). Mild cognitive impairment. Continuum (Minneapolis, Minn.), 22(2), 404–418. https://doi.org/10.1212/CON.0000000000000313

Ribeiro, F., Teixeira-Santos, A., & Leist, A. (2022). The prevalence of mild cognitive impairment in Latin America and the Caribbean: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aging & mental health, 26(9), 1710–1720. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.2003297

Rueda, A., Sánchez Cabaco, A., Mejía-Ramírez, M., Justo-Henriques, S., & Carvalho, J. (2021). Improvement of the quality of life in aging by stimulating autobiographical memory. Journal of clinical medicine, 10(14), 3168. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10143168

Schaham, N., Buckman, Z. & Rand, D. (2024). TECH preserves global cognition of older adults with MCI compared with a control group: a randomized controlled trial. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research, 36(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-023-02659-6

Smith, L., Shin, J. I., López Sánchez, G. F., Oh, H., Kostev, K., Jacob, L., Law, C. T., Carmichael, C., Tully, M. A., & Koyanagi, A. (2022). Social participation and mild cognitive impairment in low- and middle-income countries. Preventive Medicine, 164, 107230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107230

Sung, C. M., Lee, T. Y., Chu, H., Liu, D., Lin, H. C., Pien, L. C., Jen, H. J., Lai, Y. J., Kang, X. L., & Chou, K. R. (2023). Efficacy of multi-domain cognitive function training on cognitive function, working memory, attention, and coordination in older adults with mild cognitive impairment and mild dementia: A one-year prospective randomised controlled trial. Journal of global health, 13, 04069. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.13.04069

Waring, J. D., Dimsdale-Zucker, H. R., Flannery, S., Budson, A. E., & Kensinger, E. A. (2017). Effects of mild cognitive impairment on emotional scene memory. Neuropsychologia, 96, 240–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2017.01.011

Whitley, E., Deary, I. J., Ritchie, S. J., Batty, G. D., Kumari, M., & Benzeval, M. (2016). Variations in cognitive abilities across the life course: Cross-sectional evidence from Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study. Intelligence, 59, 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intell.2016.07.001

Query Statistics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Publcation metrics

0




 

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and ensure the journal's right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative “Commons Attribution License” that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this journal.