ReviewBrain sciences2026
Exercise Modulates Working Memory-Related Brain Activation Through Bidirectional Neural Mechanisms: An ALE Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional fMRI Studies.
Review in Brain sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
backgroundPhysical exercise improves working memory (WM) across the lifespan, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this benefit remain incompletely understood, and it is unclear whether intervention-induced neuroplastic changes and long-term exercise-related differences converge on common neural circuits.
methodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and CNKI through June 2026 and included 11 task-based fMRI studies (6 longitudinal interventions and 5 cross-sectional comparisons; 403 participants) reporting whole-brain activation coordinates. Activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses were performed separately for activation increases and decreases within each design.
resultsLongitudinal studies revealed exercise-induced activation increases in the bilateral cerebellum (posterior lobe, cerebellar tonsil) and decreases in the right thalamus. Cross-sectional studies revealed greater activation in the left middle temporal gyrus (BA 21) and reduced activation in the right cingulate gyrus (BA 24) and left caudate body among long-term exercisers relative to controls. Critically, the two designs yielded spatially non-overlapping patterns.
conclusionsThese findings support a dual-mechanism model in which exercise strengthens task-positive network engagement while optimizing the suppression of task-irrelevant processing. They further suggest that exercise shapes working memory circuitry across distinct, timescale-dependent neural circuits.
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