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Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis
Ben Singh, Hunter Bennett, Aaron Miatke, Dorothea Dumuid, Rachel Grace Curtis, Ty Ferguson, Jacinta Brinsley, Kimberley Szeto et al.. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2025-03-06
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
133 systematic reviews (2,724 RCTs and 258 279 participants) were included. Exercise significantly improved general cognition (SMD=0.42), memory (SMD=0.26) and executive function (SMD=0.24). Memory and executive function improvements from exercise were greater for children and adolescents than for adults and older adults. Those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder exhibited greater improvement in executive function than other populations. Effects were generally larger for low- and moderate-intensity interventions. Shorter interventions (1-3 months) and exergames (video games that require physical movement) had the largest effects on general cognition and memory. Findings remained statistically significant after excluding reviews rated as low and critically low quality. These findings provide strong evidence that exercise, even light intensity, benefits general cognition, memory and executive function across all populations, reinforcing exercise as an essential, inclusive recommendation for optimising cognitive health. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO ID: CRD42023468991.
Key findings
- 133 systematic reviews (2,724 RCTs and 258 279 participants) were included.
- Exercise significantly improved general cognition (SMD=0.42), memory (SMD=0.26) and executive function (SMD=0.24).
- Memory and executive function improvements from exercise were greater for children and adolescents than for adults and older adults.
- Those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder exhibited greater improvement in executive function than other populations.
- Effects were generally larger for low- and moderate-intensity interventions.
Why it matters
This umbrella review found that exercise significantly improved general cognition, memory and executive function across all populations, including older adults. It provides strong evidence that exercise, even at light intensity, supports cognitive health, though memory and executive function gains were greater in children and adolescents than in adults and older adults.
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Study details
- Study designmeta-analysis
- Participants279
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 76/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a meta-analysis pooling many studies. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (British Journal of Sports Medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | British Journal of Sports Medicine: journal h-index 312 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 12 / 12 | A meta-analysis pooling many studies |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 2 / 4 | 279 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | A review of other studies — randomisation is not credited here |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 142 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 47.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 6 / 6 | Cited 77.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 4 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 142 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Carol Ann Maher: h-index 69 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Pittsburgh: institution h-index 1,470 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40049759) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 76 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1136/bjsports-2024-108589
- PubMed: 40049759
- Original source →
- Free full text: British Journal of Sports Medicine →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Singh, B., Bennett, H., Miatke, A., Dumuid, D., Curtis, R. G., Ferguson, T., et al. (2025). Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108589
Vancouver
Singh B, Bennett H, Miatke A, Dumuid D, Curtis RG, Ferguson T, et al. Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2025. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2024-108589. PMID: 40049759.
BibTeX
@article{singh2025-40049759,
author = {Singh, Ben and Bennett, Hunter and Miatke, Aaron and Dumuid, Dorothea and Curtis, Rachel Grace and Ferguson, Ty and Brinsley, Jacinta and Szeto, Kimberley and others},
title = {{Effectiveness of exercise for improving cognition, memory and executive function: a systematic umbrella review and meta-meta-analysis}},
journal = {British Journal of Sports Medicine},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1136/bjsports-2024-108589},
pmid = {40049759},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108589}
}
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