ArticleFrontiers in aging neuroscience2013
A review of cardiorespiratory fitness-related neuroplasticity in the aging brain.
Article in Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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
85 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 154 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effect of pre-operative exercise training on post-operative cognitive function: a systematic review.European geriatric medicine · 2024Pooled it
- A new set of estimated cardiorespiratory fitness equations are associated with cognitive performance in older adults.GeroScience · 2023Trial
- Aerobic exercise training and neurocognitive function in cognitively normal older adults: A one-year randomized controlled trial.Journal of internal medicine · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Cardiorespiratory fitness is differentially associated with motor cortex laterality in middle-aged and older adults.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Can aerobic exercise really improve factors related to decision-making capacity in aging? What has been measured, what has been assumed, and what needs to change.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Cardiorespiratory fitness and cardiometabolic health are associated with distinct cognitive domains in cognitively healthy older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Functional Connectome Mediates Associations Between Fitness and Cognition Across the Adult Lifespan.Human brain mapping · 2025Article
- Neuroimaging biomarkers of neuroprotection: Impact of voluntary versus enforced exercise in Alzheimer's disease models.Magnetic resonance imaging · 2025Article
- An Association Between Possible Sarcopenia as an Early Marker and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Association among cardiorespiratory fitness, plasma biomarkers of pathology and astrocyte reactivity, and cognition in autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2025Article
- Long-term cumulative physical activity associated with less cognitive decline: Evidence from a 16-year cohort study.The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease · 2025Article
- The association between cardiorespiratory fitness and resting-state functional connectivity in adults with Down syndrome.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Article
- Cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with cognitive function in late adulthood: baseline findings from the IGNITE study.British journal of sports medicine · 2025Article
- Associations of cardiorespiratory fitness with cerebral cortical thickness and gray matter volume across the adult lifespan.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2025Article
- Lifestyle interventions for dementia risk reduction: A review on the role of physical activity and diet in Western and Asian Countries.The journal of prevention of Alzheimer's disease · 2025Review
- Cerebral oxygenation during submaximal and peak exercise for sedentary adults with and without down syndrome.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Article
- Substitution of physical activity for sedentary behaviour contributes to executive function improvement among young adults: a longitudinal study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Evidence of association between higher cardiorespiratory fitness and higher cerebral myelination in aging.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Establishing the feasibility of exercise breaks during university lectures.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Article
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The literature examining the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and the brain in older adults has increased rapidly, with 30 of 34 studies published since 2008. Here we review cross-sectional and exercise intervention studies in older adults examining the relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain structure and function, typically assessed using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Studies of patients with Alzheimer's disease are discussed when available. The structural MRI studies revealed a consistent positive relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and brain volume in cortical regions including anterior cingulate, lateral prefrontal, and lateral parietal cortex. Support for a positive relationship between cardiorespiratory fitness and medial temporal lobe volume was less consistent, although evident when a region-of-interest approach was implemented. In fMRI studies, cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults was associated with activation in similar regions as those identified in the structural studies, including anterior cingulate, lateral prefrontal, and lateral parietal cortex, despite heterogeneity among the functional tasks implemented. This comprehensive review highlights the overlap in brain regions showing a positive relationship with cardiorespiratory fitness in both structural and functional imaging modalities. The findings suggest that aerobic exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness contribute to healthy brain aging, although additional studies in Alzheimer's disease are needed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.