ReviewCureus2026
Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Cognitive Function in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
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
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a form of exercise that alternates between periods of high-intensity effort and lower-intensity recovery. This review examined the effects of HIIT on cognitive function in healthy older adults. A search of the PubMed, EBSCOhost (APA PsycInfo, MEDLINE Complete, and Sociology Source Ultimate), and Epistemonikos databases was conducted using database-specific search strategies based on the concepts of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), cognition, and older adults. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving healthy adults aged 60 years or older. Five studies met the inclusion criteria. Overall, the current evidence does not support a consistent benefit of HIIT for improving overall cognitive function in healthy older adults. However, some studies reported improvements in specific cognitive domains, including working memory and hippocampal-dependent learning, rather than generalized improvements in cognition. Interpretation of the findings was limited by heterogeneous cognitive outcome measures and the use of active exercise comparator groups, making it difficult to isolate the specific effects of HIIT. Further high-quality longitudinal RCTs are needed to determine whether HIIT provides meaningful cognitive benefits beyond conventional exercise modalities.
Indexed as
Identifiers
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.