ReviewBrain sciences2021
Effects of Sport-Based Interventions on Children's Executive Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Review in Brain sciences, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 8 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
39 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 77 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 interventions on EEG alpha power across different populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Comparative effects of different exercise modalities on executive function in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- A Systematic Review and Evidence Gap Map Evaluation of Rhythmic and/or Complex Movement Interventions and Child Cognitive Outcomes.Clinical child and family psychology review · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Physical and Psychosocial Benefits of Sports Participation Among Children and Adolescents with Chronic Diseases: A Systematic Review.Sports medicine - open · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of Sport-Based Exercise Interventions on Executive Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Comparative effects of physical education interventions on motor ability and executive function in junior high school students and their interrelationships.Frontiers in public health · 2026Trial
- The effects of equine-assisted activities on execution function in children aged 7-8 years: A randomized controlled trial.Brain and behavior · 2023Trial
- Multidimensional Predictors of Ranking-Based Competitive Success in National-Level Junior Tennis Players: Evidence for the Dominant Role of Physical Performance.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Optimal dose and type of physical activity for enhancing executive functions in children and adolescents: a network meta-analysis.Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health · 2026Review
- Changes in verbal fluency, anthropometric parameters, physical activity, and physical fitness following an after-school basketball program in children: a pilot study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Analysis of Motor and Perceptual-Cognitive Performance in Young Soccer Players: Insights into Training Experience and Biological Maturation.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Effects of a 12-week mini-basketball exercise intervention on executive function in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The Influence of Nonlinear Pedagogy Physical Education Intervention on Cognitive Abilities in Primary School Children: A Preliminary Study.Brain sciences · 2025Article
- Enhancing Visuospatial Working Memory and Motor Skills Through School-Based Coordination Training.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- The Effect of Physical Activity on Executive Functions in the Elderly Population: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Gross-Motor Coordination and Executive Functions Development in Soccer and Artistic Gymnastics Preadolescent Female Athletes.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2025Article
- Football training vs. martial arts training: How are they related to executive function skills in 5-6-year-old boys?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
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
One of the most studied aspects of children's cognitive development is that of the development of the executive function, and research has shown that physical activity has been demonstrated as a key factor in its enhancement. This meta-analysis aims to assess the impact of specific sports interventions on the executive function of children and teenagers. A systematic review was carried out on 1 November 2020 to search for published scientific evidence that analysed different sports programs that possibly affected executive function in students. Longitudinal studies, which assessed the effects of sports interventions on subjects between 6 and 18 years old, were identified through a systematic search of the four principal electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO. A total of eight studies, with 424 subjects overall, met the inclusion criteria and were classified based on one or more of the following categories: working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. The random-effects model for meta-analyses was performed with RevMan version 5.3 to facilitate the analysis of the studies. Large effect sizes were found in all categories: working memory (ES -1.25; 95% CI -1.70; -0.79;
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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.