Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39242965›Full record

ArticleCommunications psychology2024

A systematic review and Bayesian meta-analysis provide evidence for an effect of acute physical activity on cognition in young adults.

Jordan Garrett, Carly Chak, Tom Bullock, Barry Giesbrecht

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Communications psychology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
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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

26 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Effect of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity on executive function: a three-level meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jordan GarrettDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. jordangarrett@ucsb.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5893-5904
Carly ChakDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Tom BullockDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Barry GiesbrechtDepartment of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA. giesbrecht@ucsb.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1976-1251

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Physical exercise is a potential intervention for enhancing cognitive function across the lifespan. However, while studies employing long-term exercise interventions consistently show positive effects on cognition, studies using single acute bouts have produced mixed results. Here, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine the impact of acute exercise on cognitive task performance in healthy young adults. A Bayesian hierarchical model quantified probabilistic evidence for a modulatory relationship by synthesizing 651 effect sizes from 113 studies from PsychInfo and Google Scholar representing 4,390 participants. Publication bias was mitigated using the trim-and-fill method. Acute exercise was found to have a small beneficial effect on cognition (g = 0.13 ± 0.04; BF = 3.67) and decrease reaction time. A meta-analysis restricted to executive function tasks revealed improvements in working memory and inhibition. Meta-analytic estimates were consistent across multiple priors and likelihood functions. Physical activities were categorized based on exercise type (e.g., cycling) because many activities have aerobic and anaerobic components, but this approach may limit comparison to studies that categorize activities based on metabolic demands. The current study provides an updated synthesis of the existing literature and insights into the robustness of acute exercise-induced effects on cognition. Funding provided by the United States Army Research Office.

Identifiers

PMID39242965
PMCPMC11358546

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Registered trials

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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.