Effects of acute exercise on cognitive function: A meta-review of 30 systematic reviews with meta-analyses

Abstract

This meta-review provides the first meta-analytic evidence from published meta-analyses examining the effectiveness of acute exercise interventions on cognitive function. A multilevel meta-analysis with a random-effects model and tests of moderators were performed in R. Thirty systematic reviews with meta-analyses (383 unique studies with 18,347 participants) were identified. Acute exercise significantly improved cognitive function with a small-to-medium effect (N of standardized mean difference [SMD] = 44, mean SMD [M SMD] = 0.33, 95% CI [0.24, 0.42], p < .001). A generalized effect was observed across cognitive domains, showing benefits to tasks identified as attention (M SMD = 0.37), mixed/other (M SMD = 0.36), executive function (M SMD = 0.36), memory (M SMD = 0.23), and information processing (M SMD = 0.20). The timepoint of assessment was a significant moderator (p < .05) with the largest benefits observed when cognitive function was assessed following exercise (M SMD = 0.32). Sample descriptors (i.e., age, cognitive status) and exercise parameters (i.e., intensity, type, duration) did not moderate the positive acute exercise effect on cognitive function (ps > .05). Acute exercise facilitates cognitive function, with the size of the effect varying depending on the timing of assessment in relation to exercise. Notably, these benefits are evident across cognitive domains and occur regardless of participants' characteristics and exercise settings, supporting the adoption of acute exercise for improved cognitive function across the lifespan. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).