SynthesisJournal of sport and health science2023
Look into my eyes: What can eye-based measures tell us about the relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance?
Synthesis in Journal of sport and health science, 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 21 papers.
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
21 citing papers in PubMed, 46 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of Physical Exercise Breaks on Executive Function in a Simulated Classroom Setting: Uncovering a Window into the Brain.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Trial
- All Is Relative-A Call for Considering "Physiologically Informed" Control Conditions to Improve the Mechanistic Understanding of the Effects of Physical Exercise on Cognition.Scandinavian journal of psychology · 2026Review
- Keep calm and exercise on: A single bout of exercise supports executive function across a continuum of trait anxiety levels.Journal of mood and anxiety disorders · 2026Article
- Erratum to "Look into my eyes: What can eye-based measures tell us about the relationship between physical activity and cognitive performance?" [J Sport Health Sci 12 (2023) 568-591].Journal of sport and health science · 2026Article
- Pupil dynamics reveal preparatory processes in the generation of pro-saccades and anti-saccades in open skill sports athletes.Biology of sport · 2026Article
- Effort minimization: A permanent, dynamic, and surmountable influence on physical activity.Journal of sport and health science · 2025Article
- Beyond FITT: addressing density in understanding the dose-response relationships of physical activity with health-an example based on brain health.European journal of applied physiology · 2025Review
- A Single Bout of Intermittent Hypoxia Increases Cerebral Blood Flow and Supports an Executive Function Benefit.Psychophysiology · 2025Article
- Cerebral Amyloid Deposition WithHuman brain mapping · 2025Article
- Resting-state blink rate does not increase following very-light-intensity exercise, but individual variation predicts executive function enhancement levels.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2025Article
- Rocking the cerebral blood flow: the influence of music listening and aerobic exercise on cortical hemodynamics and post-intervention executive function.Experimental brain research · 2025Article
- Psychometric evaluation of the exercise-related cognitive errors questionnaire among Chinese emerging adults.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Pupil Dynamics Predict Exercise Brain Stimulation: An Overview of Exercise Pupillometry.Advances in neurobiology · 2025Review
- Passive and active exercise do not mitigate mental fatigue during a sustained vigilance task.Experimental brain research · 2024Article
- Sedentary behavior and lifespan brain health.Trends in cognitive sciences · 2024Review
- Effects of Mind-Body Qigong Exercise on Overall Health, Fatigue/Sleep, and Cognition in Older Chinese Immigrants in the US: An Intervention Study with Control.Journal of aging research · 2024Article
- Validation of the CRAVE-C scale in Chinese adults: a four-study examination of competing motivations for physical activity versus rest.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Imaging body-mind crosstalk in young adults.International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHPArticle
- Pilot study examining the relationship between retinal vasculature and cognition in older adults recently discharged from a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program.Therapeutic advances in ophthalmologyArticle
- Associations of 24-hour movement behaviors with externalizing and internalizing problems among children and adolescents prescribed with eyeglasses/contact lenses.International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHPArticle
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
14 authors at 10 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is a growing interest to understand the neurobiological mechanisms that drive the positive associations of physical activity and fitness with measures of cognitive performance. To better understand those mechanisms, several studies have employed eye-based measures (e.g., eye movement measures such as saccades, pupillary measures such as pupil dilation, and vascular measures such as retinal vessel diameter) deemed to be proxies for specific neurobiological mechanisms. However, there is currently no systematic review providing a comprehensive overview of these studies in the field of exercise-cognition science. Thus, this review aimed to address that gap in the literature.
methodsTo identify eligible studies, we searched 5 electronic databases on October 23, 2022. Two researchers independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using a modified version of the Tool for the assEssment of Study qualiTy and reporting in EXercise (TESTEX scale, for interventional studies) and the critical appraisal tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute (for cross-sectional studies).
resultsOur systematic review (n = 35 studies) offers the following main findings: (a) there is insufficient evidence available to draw solid conclusions concerning gaze-fixation-based measures; (b) the evidence that pupillometric measures, which are a proxy for the noradrenergic system, can explain the positive effect of acute exercise and cardiorespiratory fitness on cognitive performance is mixed; (c) physical training- or fitness-related changes of the cerebrovascular system (operationalized via changes in retinal vasculature) are, in general, positively associated with cognitive performance improvements; (d) acute and chronic physical exercises show a positive effect based on an oculomotor-based measure of executive function (operationalized via antisaccade tasks); and (e) the positive association between cardiorespiratory fitness and cognitive performance is partly mediated by the dopaminergic system (operationalized via spontaneous eye-blink rate).
conclusionThis systematic review offers confirmation that eye-based measures can provide valuable insight into the neurobiological mechanisms that may drive positive associations between physical activity and fitness and measures of cognitive performance. However, due to the limited number of studies utilizing specific methods for obtaining eye-based measures (e.g., pupillometry, retinal vessel analysis, spontaneous eye blink rate) or investigating a possible dose-response relationship, further research is necessary before more nuanced conclusions can be drawn. Given that eye-based measures are economical and non-invasive, we hope this review will foster the future application of eye-based measures in the field of exercise-cognition science.
Indexed as
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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.