Effects of physical exercise on executive function in cognitively healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Xiong, Jian; Ye, Mingzhu; Wang, Lecong; Zheng, Guohua

doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103810

Cited by 66 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 63 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The significant behavioral effect of DI was found in the attention domain, which is in concordance with previous research ( Diamond, 2015 ; Xiong et al, 2021 ) and our other research, which was performed in the same final cohort with a larger sample size ( Kropacova et al, 2019 ). The current cohort remains smaller due to discarding data from participants with motion artifacts during fMRI scanning.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Dance Intervention Impact on Brain Plasticity: A Randomized 6-Month fMRI Study in Non-expert Older Adults

Balážová

Mareček

Novakova

et al. 2021

Front. Aging Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Dance is a complex activity combining physical exercise with cognitive, social, and artistic stimulation.Objectives: We aimed to assess the effects of dance intervention (DI) on intra and inter-network resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) and its association to cognitive changes in a group of non-demented elderly participants.Methods: Participants were randomly assigned into two groups: DI and life as usual (LAU). Six-month-long DI consisted of supervised 60 min lessons three times per week. Resting-state fMRI data were processed using independent component analysis to evaluate the intra and inter-network connectivity of large-scale brain networks. Interaction between group (DI, LAU) and visit (baseline, follow-up) was assessed using ANOVA, and DI-induced changes in rs-FC were correlated with cognitive outcomes.Results: Data were analyzed in 68 participants (DI; n = 36 and LAU; n = 32). A significant behavioral effect was found in the attention domain, with Z scores increasing in the DI group and decreasing in the LAU group (p = 0.017). The DI as compared to LAU led to a significant rs-FC increase of the default mode network (DMN) and specific inter-network pairings, including insulo-opercular and right frontoparietal/frontoparietal control networks (p = 0.019 and p = 0.023), visual and language/DMN networks (p = 0.012 and p = 0.015), and cerebellar and visual/language networks (p = 0.015 and p = 0.003). The crosstalk of the insulo-opercular and right frontoparietal networks were associated with attention/executive domain Z-scores (R = 0.401, p = 0.015, and R = 0.412, p = 0.012).Conclusion: The DI led to intervention-specific complex brain plasticity changes that were of cognitive relevance.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Dance Intervention Impact on Brain Plasticity: A Randomized 6-Month fMRI Study in Non-expert Older Adults

Balážová

Mareček

Novakova

et al. 2021

Front. Aging Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Some studies using digit span tests similar to ours report a positive effect ( Kramer et al, 2002 ; Voss et al, 2013 ), but no effect for spatial working memory ( Erickson et al, 2011 ). Earlier reviews reported no association between exercise interventions and working memory, even in interventions increasing CRF ( Smith et al, 2010 ; Young et al, 2015 ), but a recent systematic review found a significant positive effect on working memory ( Xiong et al, 2020 ). It should be noted that we did not find a significant association between CRF and working memory in the Supplementary Models or the linear regression analyses and only a trend in Model 1.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

5 Years of Exercise Intervention Did Not Benefit Cognition Compared to the Physical Activity Guidelines in Older Adults, but Higher Cardiorespiratory Fitness Did. A Generation 100 Substudy

Sokołowski

Hansen

Rise

et al. 2021

Front. Aging Neurosci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Aerobic exercise is proposed to attenuate cognitive decline in aging. We investigated the effect of different aerobic exercise interventions and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) upon cognition throughout a 5-year exercise intervention in older adults.Methods: 106 older adults (52 women, age 70-77 years) were randomized into high-intensity interval training (HIIT; ∼90% peak heart rate), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT; ∼70% peak heart rate), or control for 5 years. The HIIT and MICT groups performed supervised training twice weekly, while the control group was asked to follow the national physical activity guidelines (30 min of physical activity/day). At baseline, 1-, 3-, and 5-year follow-up, participants partook in cognitive testing (spatial memory, verbal memory, pattern separation, processing speed, working memory, and planning ability), underwent clinical testing, and filled out health-related questionnaires. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effects of the exercise group and CRF (measured as peak and max oxygen uptake) on each cognitive test. The effects of changes in CRF on changes in each cognitive test score throughout the intervention were also assessed. The associations between baseline CRF and cognitive abilities at the follow-ups were investigated using linear regressions.Results: There was no group-by-time interaction on the cognitive measures, and neither HIIT nor MICT participation was associated with better cognitive performance than control at any time point during the 5-year intervention. All groups increased their CRF similarly during the 1st year and subsequently declined back to baseline levels after 5 years. A higher CRF was associated with higher processing speed throughout the intervention while increasing CRF during the intervention was associated with better working memory and worse pattern separation. Higher CRF at baseline predicted consistently better processing speed and verbal memory performance.Conclusion: In this first 5-year randomized controlled trial investigating the effects of HIIT, MICT, and physical activity according to national guidelines on cognition, we observed no effect of exercise intervention group on cognition when compared to following the national physical activity guidelines. Still, the results showed that higher CRF and increasing CRF benefited multiple, but not all, cognitive abilities in older adults.Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier [NCT01666340].

show abstract

“…The size of the nodes (for meta-analyses only) is proportional to the reported effect size and the color indicates the age range addressed. Note that most meta-analyses report the effect of exercise on general cognitive domains, but some only report the effect of exercise on executive functions (Jackson et al 21 ; Scherder et al 20 ; Xiong et al 27 ; Xue et al 25 ) or working memory (Rathore & Lom 22 ). The primary studies used by each meta-analysis to estimate their reported effect size are represented by turquoise nodes (the size of these nodes is fixed).…”

Section: Variations In Study Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

An umbrella review of randomized control trials on the effects of physical exercise on cognition

Ciria

Román-Caballero

Vadillo

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many meta-analytic reviews have examined the cognitive benefits of regular physical exercise across the lifespan, with a wide range of inclusion criteria and disparate analytic approaches. In fact, most global health organizations incorporate the purported cognitive benefits as part of their policies to promote regular physical exercise. We assess whether those claims are well supported by scientific evidence. We conducted a pre-registered (PROSPERO: CRD42020191357) umbrella review of meta-analyses limited to randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on exercise-cognition. Outcomes of each meta-analysis were reanalyzed following a multilevel model approach. Publication bias was also analyzed to correct final effect sizes. Most of the 12 reviewed meta-analyses reported a positive small effect (d = 0.21, [0.07 0.40]) of physical exercise across all cognitive domains in all life stages. However, a critical assessment of the primary studies included in these reviews and the meta-analytic approaches used indicates that the evidence might not be reliable and therefore no strong conclusions should be drawn based on the existing evidence. We found that the literature has undergone an unusually rapid growth upon underpowered RCTs and potentially biased meta-analytic reviews. The exponential accumulation of low-quality evidence on the exercise-cognition topic has led to stagnation in the field, hindering the discernment of the potential impact of exercise on cognition. We urge worldwide organizations committed to public health to reconsider their recommendations on the promotion of regular physical exercise to boost cognitive functions in the healthy population until high-quality empirical evidence confirms these exercise-induced cognitive benefits.

show abstract

Effects of physical exercise on executive function in cognitively healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Cited by 66 publications

References 63 publications

Dance Intervention Impact on Brain Plasticity: A Randomized 6-Month fMRI Study in Non-expert Older Adults

Dance Intervention Impact on Brain Plasticity: A Randomized 6-Month fMRI Study in Non-expert Older Adults

5 Years of Exercise Intervention Did Not Benefit Cognition Compared to the Physical Activity Guidelines in Older Adults, but Higher Cardiorespiratory Fitness Did. A Generation 100 Substudy

An umbrella review of randomized control trials on the effects of physical exercise on cognition

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About