The Preventive Effect of Dance on Cognitive Decline in Healthy Older Adults

Cognitive decline is a common concern in older adults, which is accompanied by rising rates of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia. While pharmacological treatments are limited by side effects and high costs, nonpharmacological interventions have received wide attention due to their safety and acceptability. Dance may confer cognitive protection, as it combines physical activity with cognitive training and social interaction. Based on data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), this review systematically examines the preventive effects on cognitive decline of dance as a nonpharmacological intervention in healthy older adults. Experimental finding reveal that dance interventions significantly improve global cognition, executive function, memory, and attention. These improvements may be mediated by enhanced neuroplasticity and neurotrophic factor modulation. Limitations in current literature include small samples sizes and a lack of long-term follow-up data. Training dose (duration and frequency) and the types of dance interventions are also inconsistent across studies. More high-quality research is therefore needed. As a nonpharmacological intervention, dance can improve cognitive function significantly in healthy older adults, particularly in buffering against cognitive decline. Future research should focus on large-sample, multicenter RCTs, long-term follow-up, comparisons of dance types, and exploration of mechanisms to optimize intervention plans and promote their application in clinical and community settings.