Cognitive dysfunction is closely associated with neuronal apoptosis, autophagy, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Upon the disturbance of many clinical diseases or stimulating factors, patients manifest alterations in cognitive function, including the decline of memory, language proficiency, execution skills and calculation ability, which brings much inconvenience to patients' life and family. Therefore, research on various methods that can improve the cognitive impairment of patients is very important. This review describes two key molecules for cellular metabolism, adenosine monophosphate (AMP)‑activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), and summarize roles of the AMPK/SIRT1 signaling pathway in improving patients' cognitive function by antagonizing oxidative stress, activating autophagy, and inhibiting neuroinflammation. The neuroprotective effect of this signaling pathway provides possibility for treatments of more cognition‑related diseases.