Efficacy of reminiscence therapy in improving cognitive decline: a systematic review and meta-analysis

‌ Reminiscence therapy(RT) is used in the care of people with dementia to help improve their quality of life, but the efficacy of RT in various cognitive decline populations is unclear, and long-term effects are not sufficiently evidenced.This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to determine the efficacy of RT in improving cognitive decline and provide evidence for its implementation in care.

A comprehensive search strategy utilizing MeSH terms and free-text keywords was employed to systematically search the Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane databases up to January 24, 2024. Randomized controlled trials(RCTs) investigating RT monotherapy for improving cognitive decline were included. The primary outcomes of interest were the standard Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Additionally, all data analyses will be performed using RevMan5.4 software.

‌ We identified 612 studies, and 24 studies met the inclusion criteria, involving 2650 participants. This meta-analysis shows that RT significantly improves immediate and long-term cognitive decline with Standardized Mean Difference(SMD) and 95% CI of 0.55 [0.37, 0.73] and 0.50 [0.11, 0.88], respectively. However, there is no significant difference in efficacy between subgroups (P > 0.05).

‌ Our findings suggestS that RT significantly improves cognitive decline, with no significant differences between subgroups. This suggests that RT is universal in improving cognition and that the way RT is implemented has no significant effect on outcomes. These findings supportS the use of RT as a reliable non-pharmacological treatment option to enhance cognitive function.