ReviewNeurology. Clinical practice2018
Exercise for cognitive brain health in aging: A systematic review for an evaluation of dose.
Review in Neurology. Clinical practice, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04841668 (Gut-Brain-axis), which is not on this map. Cited by 101 papers, 9 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.
Gut-Brain-axis: Targets for Improvement of Cognition in the Elderly
Who cites it
101 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of exercise modalities on cognitive and muscle function in older adults with cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of exercise interventions on EEG alpha power across different populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of exercise on cognitive function in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the mediating role of sleep.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Rethinking exercise dose for cognitive ageing: a systematic review and meta-analysis of physical dose and cognitive-motor demands.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Multicomponent Exercise Interventions in Older Adults With Dementia: A Meta-Analysis.The Gerontologist · 2021Pooled it
- Can Physical Activity Reduce the Risk of Cognitive Decline in Apolipoprotein e4 Carriers? A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Can Reactivity of Heart Rate Variability Be a Potential Biomarker and Monitoring Tool to Promote Healthy Aging? A Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses.Frontiers in physiology · 2021Pooled it
- Functional parameters indicative of mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review using instrumented kinematic assessment.BMC geriatrics · 2020Pooled it
- A Meta-Analysis of Studies of the Effect of Mind Body Exercise on Various Domains of Cognitive Function in Older People With or Without Mild Cognitive Impairment.Journal of evidence-based integrative medicinePooled it
- Exercise-induced brain changes in cannabis use disorder: a longitudinal MRI study of a 12-week supervised HIIT program.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Trial
- Effect of a 24-week resistance exercise intervention on cognitive function in cognitively normal older adults: The AGUEDA randomized controlled trial.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Trial
- Effect of sprint interval cycling with blood flow restriction on capillary blood lactate, cognitive function and perceptual response: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- The impact of dance self-efficacy on dance program participation and health outcomes among older adults: a secondary analysis of the DaNCE cluster-RCT.BMC geriatrics · 2025Trial
- Enhancing cognition in older adults with interactive wall exergames.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Neural Determinants of Sedentary Lifestyle in Older Adults: A Brain Network Analysis.Brain and behavior · 2025Trial
- Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy of a Multimodal Approach to Increase Physical Activity in Older Adults With Memory Complaints: The Education for Action Study.Journal of aging and physical activity · 2022Trial
- Randomized Trial of Combined Aerobic, Resistance, and Cognitive Training to Improve Recovery From Stroke: Feasibility and Safety.Journal of the American Heart Association · 2020Trial
- A pilot randomized controlled trial of exercise to improve cognitive performance in patients with stable glioma: a proof of concept.Neuro-oncology · 2020Trial
- Differential Effects of Physical Exercise, Cognitive Training, and Mindfulness Practice on Serum BDNF Levels in Healthy Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Intervention Study.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2019Trial
- Feasibility and Impact of a Yoga Intervention on Cognition, Physical Function, Physical Activity, and Affective Outcomes among People Living with HIV: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.Journal of the International Association of Providers of AIDS CareTrial
41 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
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purpose of reviewWe systematically appraised randomized controlled trials proposing exercise to influence cognition in older adults to (1) assess the methodologic quality using Cochrane criteria; (2) describe various exercise dose measures and assess their relationship with improved cognitive performance; and (3) identify consistent patterns of reported effects on cognition. RECENT
findingsThere was overall good methodologic quality in all 98 included studies. The assessment of the relationship between improved cognition and various measures of exercise dose (session duration, weekly minutes, frequency, total weeks, and total hours) revealed a significant correlation with total hours. Improvements in global cognition, processing speed/attention, and executive function were most stable and consistent. SUMMARY: We found that exercising for at least 52 hours is associated with improved cognitive performance in older adults with and without cognitive impairment. Exercise modes supported by evidence are aerobic, resistance (strength) training, mind-body exercises, or combinations of these interventions.
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.