Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36973359›Full record

SynthesisNature human behaviour2023

An umbrella review of randomized control trials on the effects of physical exercise on cognition.

Luis F Ciria, Rafael Román-Caballero, Miguel A Vadillo, Darias Holgado, Antonio Luque-Casado, Pandelis Perakakis, Daniel Sanabria

Erratum issuedOpen access · greenAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nature human behaviour, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 80 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
80citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
22.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
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

80 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 130 citations in OpenAlex.

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  4. Physical Activity, Cognitive Health and Learning in Youth: A Narrative Umbrella Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
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20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Luis F CiriaMind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain. lciria@ugr.es.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7067-5060
Rafael Román-CaballeroMind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0943-6217
Miguel A VadilloDepartment of Basic Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8421-816X
Darias HolgadoDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3211-8006
Antonio Luque-CasadoCenter for Sport Studies, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9293-637X
Pandelis PerakakisDepartment of Social, Work, and Differential Psychology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
Daniel SanabriaMind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Granada, Spain. daniel@ugr.es.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4164-7607
Universidad de Granada · ESUniversidad Autónoma de Madrid · ESUniversidad Complutense de Madrid · ESUniversidad Rey Juan Carlos · ES

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Extensive research links regular physical exercise to an overall enhancement of cognitive function across the lifespan. Here we assess the causal evidence supporting this relationship in the healthy population, using an umbrella review of meta-analyses limited to randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Despite most of the 24 reviewed meta-analyses reporting a positive overall effect, our assessment reveals evidence of low statistical power in the primary RCTs, selective inclusion of studies, publication bias and large variation in combinations of pre-processing and analytic decisions. In addition, our meta-analysis of all the primary RCTs included in the revised meta-analyses shows small exercise-related benefits (d = 0.22, 95% confidence interval 0.16 to 0.28) that became substantially smaller after accounting for key moderators (that is, active control and baseline differences; d = 0.13, 95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.20), and negligible after correcting for publication bias (d = 0.05, 95% confidence interval -0.09 to 0.14). These findings suggest caution in claims and recommendations linking regular physical exercise to cognitive benefits in the healthy human population until more reliable causal evidence accumulates.

Indexed as

CognitionExerciseHealth StatusHumansLongevityMeta-Analysis as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Identifiers

PMID36973359
OpenAlexW4360999057

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.