The DOI matches its Crossref record; 228 of the 229 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Nonpharmacological Therapies in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review of Efficacy
Open accessAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Nonpharmacological therapies (NPTs) can improve the quality of life (QoL) of people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their carers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the best evidence on the effects of NPTs in AD and related disorders (ADRD) by performing a systematic review and meta-analysis of the entire field. METHODS: Existing reviews and major electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The deadline for study inclusion was September 15, 2008. Intervention categories and outcome domains were predefined by consensus. Two researchers working together detected 1,313 candidate studies of which 179 RCTs belonging to 26 intervention categories were selected. Cognitive deterioration had to be documented in all participants, and degenerative etiology (indicating dementia) had to be present or presumed in at least 80% of the subjects. Evidence tables, meta-analysis and summaries of results were elaborated by the first author and reviewed by author subgroups. Methods for rating level of evidence and grading practice recommendations were adapted from the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine. RESULTS: Grade A treatment recommendation was achieved for institutionalization delay (multicomponent interventions for the caregiver, CG). Grade B recommendation was reached for the person with dementia (PWD) for: improvement in cognition (cognitive training, cognitive stimulation, multicomponent interventions for the PWD); activities of daily living (ADL) (ADL training, multicomponent interventions for the PWD); behavior (cognitive stimulation, multicomponent interventions for the PWD, behavioral interventions, professional CG training); mood (multicomponent interventions for the PWD); QoL (multicomponent interventions for PWD and CG) and restraint prevention (professional CG training); for the CG, grade B was also reached for: CG mood (CG education, CG support, multicomponent interventions for the CG); CG psychological well-being (cognitive stimulation, multicomponent interventions for the CG); CG QoL (multicomponent interventions for PWD and CG). CONCLUSION: NPTs emerge as a useful, versatile and potentially cost-effective approach to improve outcomes and QoL in ADRD for both the PWD and CG.
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“Indeed, research shows a positive correlation between increased physical activity, cognitive training, improved nutrition, and slowing cognitive and functional decline and intensity of BPSD.”
From Alzheimer's Disease: Treatment Strategies and Their Limitations. (2022) · cites this paper as [170]
In the citing paper
“Only multicomponent interventions have been shown to be effective in preventing institutionalisation.11,12”
In the citing paper
“However, preliminary results indicate that CS may improve QoL and well-being of caregivers of people with AD and dementia (69, 70, 74).”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“Most RCTs showed no effect of CT on other outcomes, but their low quality impede any solid conclusion (70–72, 74, 77).”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“Several studies reported an improvement of general cognitive functioning in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia after CS sessions of variable length (69–74).”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“Music therapy and behavioral management techniques seem to cause a short-term reduction of BPSD, but long-term efficacy is unclear.”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“Potential benefits of these interventions have been documented, but the strength of evidence is overall low and the great heterogeneity in terms of type of intervention, follow-up duration, type of outcome measures hamper comparison across studies.”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“In particular, there are no conclusive results for validation and reminiscence therapy, the effectiveness of light therapy is not clear, aromatherapy is better than no treatment.”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“The small body of evidence for other sensory interventions, such as massage and touch therapy, suggests they could be viable treatment options, especially given the ease of implementation and minimal training involved.”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“No effect has been documented for acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation.”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“Some reports indicate the NPT to BPSD to be potentially cost-effective (70, 99, 106), but further research is needed on this point.”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
In the citing paper
“Actually, some systematic reviews demonstrated that multicomponent interventions were more effective than single activities in improving general well-being of both persons with dementia and their caregivers (70, 175), and in hospitalized older adults with cognitive impairment (176, 177).”
From The Multidisciplinary Approach to Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. A Narrative Review of Non-Pharmacological Treatment (2018) · cites this paper as [70]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Olazarán, J., Reisberg, B., Clare, L., Cruz, I., Peña-Casanova, J., del Ser, T., Woods, B., Beck, C., Auer, S., Lai, C., Spector, A., Fazio, S., Bond, J., Kivipelto, M., Brodaty, H., Rojo, J. M., Collins, H., Teri, L., Mittelman, M., Orrell, M., Feldman, H. H., & Muñiz, R.
- Affiliations
- NYU Langone Health (US)
- Bangor University (GB)
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (US)
- MAS Alzheimerhilfe (AT)
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK)
- University College London (GB)
- Alzheimer's Association (US)
- Newcastle University (GB)
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- UNSW Sydney (AU)
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
- Cochrane (GB)
- University of Washington (US)
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders
- Publisher
- S. Karger AG
- Published
- 2010
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 161-178
- ISSN
- 1420-8008 (ISSN-L)
- 1421-9824
- OpenAlex
- W2116861306
- Cited by
- 937
- References
- 229
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 50 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 94 · 2019: 62 · 2018: 76 · 2017: 87 · 2016: 81 · 2015: 61 · 2014: 76 · 2013: 68 · 2012: 65
- FWCI
- 7.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- PolyU Institutional Research Archive (Hong Kong Polytechnic University) (submittedVersion)
- Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Geriatrics and Gerontology › Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes
- Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease, non-pharmacological treatment, dementia, quality of life, caregivers, cognitive training, cognitive stimulation, multicomponent intervention, activities of daily living, mood, restraint prevention, caregiver education, treatment guidelines
- MeSH terms
- Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Complementary Therapies, Alzheimer Disease, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Humans, Institutionalization, Quality of Life, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome, Caregivers, Disease Progression, Evidence-Based Medicine, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Learning Curve
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