SynthesisDevelopmental cognitive neuroscience2020
The effects of physical activity on brain structure and neurophysiological functioning in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Developmental cognitive neuroscience, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 4 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
43 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 84 citations in OpenAlex.
- What type of exercise prescription is best for improving cognitive flexibility in children and adolescents? A network meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of exercise on cognitive performance and ERP (P3, N2) in overweight and obese populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of different physical activity modalities on executive function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- The frontal association area: exercise-induced brain plasticity in children and adolescents and implications for cognitive intervention practice.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2024Pooled it
- Recess as a Setting for Child Development: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Physical Activity, Motor Skills and Social-Emotional Functioning.The Journal of school health · 2026Trial
- Integrated functional training versus conventional physical education for health-related physical fitness in preschool children: a 14-week randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- Effectiveness of a Parent-Based eHealth Intervention on Physical Activity, Dietary Behaviors, and Sleep in Preschoolers: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Effects of aerobic versus cognitively demanding exercise interventions on brain structure and function in healthy children-Results from a cluster randomized controlled trial.Psychophysiology · 2022Trial
- The relationship between white matter microstructure, cardiovascular fitness, gross motor skills, and neurocognitive functioning in children.Journal of neuroscience research · 2021Trial
- Effects of acute physical activity on interference control in children with and without ADHD: a crossover ERP study from the Break4Brain project.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Article
- Exploring Links between Brain Image-Derived Phenotypes and Accelerometer-Measured Physical Activity in the UK Biobank.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Karate interventions in children and adolescents: a scoping review of psychosocial and cognitive outcomes.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Physical Activity and Its Effects on Executive Functions and Brain Outcomes in Children: A Narrative Review.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Adaptations in the Structure and Function of the Cerebellum in Basketball Athletes.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- ViT-BiLSTM Multimodal Learning for Paediatric ADHD Recognition: Integrating Wearable Sensor Data with Clinical Profiles.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A chain mediation model of physical exercise and BrainRot behavior among adolescents.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- The Role of Physical Activity in ADHD Management: Diagnostic, Digital and Non-Digital Interventions, and Lifespan Considerations.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Physical Activity Intensity and Learning Strategies in Students Aged 10 to 16: A Pilot Study.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Associations between physical fitness and executive functions in 10-13 year male children in Saudi Arabia.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study is the first to systematically review and quantify the effects of physical activity on brain structure and neurophysiological functioning in children. Electronic data bases were searched for relevant studies. Studies that met the following criteria were included: (1) used an RCT or cross-over design, (2) examined the effects of physical activity on brain structure and/or neurophysiological functioning, (3) included children (5-12 years old) (4) included a control group (RCTs) or control condition (cross-over trials). A total of 26 and 20 studies were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, respectively, representing and accompanying 973 and 782 unique children. Main analyses were separated for short-term and long-term physical activity and for effects on brain structure and neurophysiological functioning with a distinction between children from healthy and clinical populations. We found evidence for significant beneficial effects of long-term physical activity on neurophysiological functioning (d = 0.39, p < 0.001). In addition, short-term physical activity may induce changes in neurophysiological functioning (d = 0.32, p = 0.044), although this evidence showed limited robustness. No meta-analytic evidence was found for positive effects on brain structure. The results underline the importance of physical activity for brain development in children.
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.