Effects of motor–cognitive training on dual-task performance in people with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Motor–cognitive training in Parkinson’s disease (PD) can positively affect gait and balance, but whether motor–cognitive (dual-task) performance improves is unknown. This meta-analysis, therefore, aimed to establish the current evidence on the effects of motor–cognitive training on dual-task performance in PD. Systematic searches were conducted in five databases and 11 studies with a total of 597 people (mean age: 68.9 years; mean PD duration: 6.8 years) were included. We found a mean difference in dual-task gait speed (0.12 m/s (95% CI 0.08, 0.17)), dual-task cadence (2.91 steps/min (95% CI 0.08, 5.73)), dual-task stride length (10.12 cm (95% CI 4.86, 15.38)) and dual-task cost on gait speed (− 8.75% (95% CI − 14.57, − 2.92)) in favor of motor–cognitive training compared to controls. The GRADE analysis revealed that the findings were based on high certainty evidence. Thus, we can for the first time systematically show that people with PD can improve their dual-task ability through motor–cognitive training. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00415-023-11610-8.