ReviewExperimental physiology2025
Acute exercise-induced improvements in cognition: Role of cerebral blood flow and metabolism.
Review in Experimental physiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Cardiovascular-Cognitive Associations During Physiological Challenges in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.Diseases (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Fifteen-minute recess freestyle rope skipping enhances classroom attention in junior high school students in the context of healthy school development: mechanisms and implications.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Acute exercise-induced improvements in cognition: Role of cerebral blood flow and metabolism.Experimental physiology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Physical activity is widely recognized for its ability to promote brain health, with acute exercise transiently enhancing cognition and long-term training attenuating cognitive decline. However, the mechanisms underlying these benefits remain incompletely understood. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) has traditionally been considered central to exercise-induced cognitive improvements, given the brain's dependence on a continuous supply of oxygen and glucose. Yet, accumulating evidence indicates that changes in global CBF alone cannot fully explain enhanced cognitive performance. Instead, regional CBF responses through neurovascular coupling, as well as cerebral metabolism - including oxygen extraction, glucose utilization and lactate uptake - are likely more critical determinants of brain function in response to exercise. Importantly, substantial individual differences exist in these responses. While some individuals experience robust cognitive gains from identical exercise regimens, others show little or no benefit. Emerging evidence suggests that variability in glucose tolerance, lactate dynamics and exercise capacity may underlie this heterogeneity, reflecting differences in metabolic responses and cerebrovascular regulation. For example, impaired glucose utilization might be linked to diminished exercise-induced cognitive improvement, whereas lactate uptake appears to support high-intensity exercise-related gains. These findings highlight that the cognitive effects of exercise are not uniform, but rather influenced by individual physiological characteristics. This review therefore emphasizes the integrative regulation of CBF and metabolism as key factors mediating exercise-induced cognitive improvements, while emphasizing the importance of inter-individual variability. Understanding why some individuals benefit more than others is essential for adapting exercise prescriptions to maximize brain health across diverse populations.
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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.