Table tennis asks a lot of the brain at once — fast reaction times, hand-eye coordination, quick decision-making — which is why researchers have started testing it as a therapy for people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and dementia. A new systematic review pulled together the evidence: researchers screened 499 records down to 10 relevant studies, with 5 of them providing enough data for a formal meta-analysis of cognitive and motor outcomes.
The pooled effects were large, on every measure tested. On the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a standard cognitive screening tool, table tennis was associated with an effect size of d = 1.44. On the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), another cognitive test, the effect was d = 1.31. Motor function, measured by the UPDRS-III (a Parkinson's symptom scale), improved with an effect of d = 1.27, and dual-task walking ability (the Timed Up and Go test, done while multitasking) improved with d = 0.93. In effect-size terms, anything above 0.8 is generally considered a large effect — all four results cleared that bar. Heterogeneity between studies was low to moderate (I² = 18-42%), and no serious adverse events were reported across the included trials.
The catch is the evidence base itself is small. Five studies feeding into each pooled estimate is not a large foundation, and the authors are explicit that this "warrants cautious interpretation" despite the size of the effects. Small studies can produce inflated effect sizes, and it will take larger, more rigorous trials to confirm whether these numbers hold up. No conflicts of interest were declared by the review's authors.
Who this is for. This evidence applies specifically to older adults already living with a neurodegenerative disease — Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or dementia — not to healthy aging brains in general. For that population, table tennis looks like a safe, low-cost activity worth discussing with a care team, alongside — not instead of — standard treatment.
Bottom line. In a small but consistent body of evidence, table tennis showed large improvements in cognitive tests (MMSE, MoCA), motor symptoms, and dual-task walking ability in people with neurodegenerative disease, with no reported safety concerns — promising, but based on only 5 studies, so treat it as an encouraging early signal rather than a settled conclusion.
Medical note. This article is intended for general educational purposes and should not be considered personal medical advice.