Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28018195›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in human neuroscience2016

Mediators of Physical Activity on Neurocognitive Function: A Review at Multiple Levels of Analysis.

Chelsea M Stillman, Jamie Cohen, Morgan E Lehman, Kirk I Erickson

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in human neuroscience, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 183 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
183citing papers in PubMed, 15 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

183 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Effect of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity on executive function: a three-level meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026
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123 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Chelsea M StillmanDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PittsburghPA, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, PittsburghPA, USA.
Jamie CohenCenter for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, PittsburghPA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PittsburghPA, USA.
Morgan E LehmanDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA, USA.
Kirk I EricksonDepartment of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PittsburghPA, USA; Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, University of Pittsburgh, PittsburghPA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, PittsburghPA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Physical activity (PA) is known to maintain and improve neurocognitive health. However, there is still a poor understanding of the mechanisms by which PA exerts its effects on the brain and cognition in humans. Many of the most widely discussed mechanisms of PA are molecular and cellular and arise from animal models. While information about basic cellular and molecular mechanisms is an important foundation from which to build our understanding of how PA promotes cognitive health in humans, there are other pathways that could play a role in this relationship. For example, PA-induced changes to cellular and molecular pathways likely initiate changes to macroscopic properties of the brain and/or to behavior that in turn influence cognition. The present review uses a more macroscopic lens to identify potential brain and behavioral/socioemotional mediators of the association between PA and cognitive function. We first summarize what is known regarding cellular and molecular mechanisms, and then devote the remainder of the review to discussing evidence for brain systems and behavioral/socioemotional pathways by which PA influences cognition. It is our hope that discussing mechanisms at multiple levels of analysis will stimulate the field to examine both brain and behavioral mediators. Doing so is important, as it could lead to a more complete characterization of the processes by which PA influences neurocognitive function, as well as a greater variety of targets for modifying neurocognitive function in clinical contexts.

Indexed as

braincognitionexercisemechanismsmediationphysical activity

Identifiers

PMID28018195
PMCPMC5161022

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.