Table 1.

PICO search strategy elements.

PICO element	Description	Search terms
P (Population)	Adults aged 18 years and older	adult*, adults, aged, aging, elderly*
I (Intervention)	Creatine supplementation	creatine, “creatine supplement*,” CrM, “creatine monohydrate”
C (Comparison)	Placebo or no intervention	placebo*, control*, “no intervention”
O (Outcome)	Cognitive function	cognition, “cognitive function*,” memory, “executive function*,” attention, “processing speed”

Search strategies were tailored to the specific syntax of each database, employing Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine search terms effectively.