Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is among common cause of dementia. Complementary therapies, such as resistance exercise (RE), have been proposed as an alternative for the treatment of AD. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effects of RE on the cognitive function of AD animal models and their physiological mechanisms.

This review was submitted to PROSPERO (CRD42019131266) and was done according to PRISMA checklist. Four databases were used in the search: MEDLINE/PUBMED, SCOPUS, Web of Science and Google Scholar. We used SYRCLE and CAMAREDES to assess the risk of bias and methodological quality. We calculated the standardized mean difference using 95% confidence intervals and considered the random effects model and p < 0.05 to determine significance.

A total of 1,807 studies were founded, and after the selection process, only 11 studies were included in this review and 8 studies were included for meta-analysis. Four studies applied RE before AD induction, 7 studies applied RE after AD induction or in the AD condition. All studies included 550 adult and older animals weighing 25–280g. Our analysis revealed that RE had a positive effect on memory in AD animal models but did not show a significant impact on anxiety.

RE performed four or six weeks, more than three days a week, had a significant protective effect on memory. The included studies had a high risk of bias and moderate methodological quality. Therefore, RE can be a potential strategy for preventing cognitive decline in animal models.