ReviewAgeing research reviews2012
Evolutionary aspects of human exercise--born to run purposefully.
Review in Ageing research reviews, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of exercise on executive function in cognitively healthy older adults: a systematic review and three-level meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2026Pooled it
- The impact of physical activity on blood inflammatory cytokines and neuroprotective factors in individuals with mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled trials.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2022Pooled it
- Physical fitness training in Subacute Stroke (PHYS-STROKE)--study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.Trials · 2014Trial
- Why Do Humans Exercise? A Neuro-Evolutionary Framework for Discretionary Physical Effort.Evolutionary anthropology · 2026Review
- Effects of sarcopenia on cognitive function in middle-aged and older adults: mediating roles of social participation and instrumental activities of daily living disability.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Review
- Move to Remember: The Role of Physical Activity and Exercise in Preserving and Enhancing Cognitive Function in Aging-A Narrative Review.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Exercise Delays Brain Ageing Through Muscle-Brain Crosstalk.Cell proliferation · 2025Review
- Microecologics and Exercise: Targeting the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis for Central Nervous System Disease Intervention.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Are Oligodendrocytes the Culprits or Victims in Alzheimer's Disease.Physiological research · 2025Review
- Biomechanical Investigation of Lower Limbs during Slope Transformation Running with Different Longitudinal Bending Stiffness Shoes.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Effects of Various Caffeine Doses on Cognitive Abilities in Female Athletes with Low Caffeine Consumption.Brain sciences · 2024Article
- Article
- The molecular athlete: exercise physiology from mechanisms to medals.Physiological reviews · 2023Review
- Modulating autophagy and mitophagy as a promising therapeutic approach in neurodegenerative disorders.Life sciences · 2022Review
- Article
- Neuroprotective effects of strength training in a neuroinflammatory animal model.BMC neuroscience · 2022Article
- Evidence for exercise-related plasticity in functional and structural neural network connectivity.Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews · 2021Review
- The Pleiotropic Potential of BDNF beyond Neurons: Implication for a Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- The Effect of Physical Exercise on Cognitive Impairment in Neurodegenerative Disease: From Pathophysiology to Clinical and Rehabilitative Aspects.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
Abstract
This article is intended to raise awareness of the adaptive value of endurance exercise (particularly running) in the evolutionary history of humans, and the implications of the genetic disposition to exercise for the aging populations of modern technology-driven societies. The genome of Homo sapiens has evolved to support the svelte phenotype of an endurance runner, setting him/her apart from all other primates. The cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the competitive advantages conferred by exercise capacity in youth can also provide a survival benefit beyond the reproductive period. These mechanisms include up-regulation of genes encoding proteins involved in protecting cells against oxidative stress, disposing of damaged proteins and organelles, and enhancing bioenergetics. Particularly fascinating are the signaling mechanisms by which endurance running changes the structure and functional capabilities of the brain and, conversely, the mechanisms by which the brain integrates metabolic, cardiovascular and behavioral responses to exercise. As an emerging example, I highlight the roles of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a mediator of the effects of exercise on the brain, and BDNF's critical role in regulating metabolic and cardiovascular responses to endurance running. A better understanding of such 'healthspan-extending' actions of endurance exercise may lead to new approaches for improving quality of life as we advance in the coming decades and centuries.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.