Reported benefits of physical activity programs on executive functions depend on program duration and the executive domain analyzed¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q1
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q1 i? The article reports, citing prior review work, that acute physical activity programs may benefit inhibition while longitudinal programs may benefit working memory and cognitive flexibility. → Cancela J 2019

Evidence¶

Cancela J 2019¶

Cancela J, Burgo H, Sande E. (2019). Physical fitness and executive functions in adolescents: cross-sectional associations with academic achievement. J. Phys. Ther. Sci. 31: 556–562. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpts/31/7/31_17-478/_article

q1 · i? · associational · r2

Narrative attribution in the discussion: the article reports, citing reference 24 (Esteban-Cornejo et al.), that program duration and the executive domain analyzed condition the influence of cardiovascular programs on executive functions. No new data are presented for this in the present study.

"the development of programs of acute physical activity may lead to significant benefits in inhibition, while longitudinal physical activity programs may cause significant benefits in working memory and cognitive flexibility24)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Acute cardio exercise improves executive functions, response time, and academic performance in children with ADHD — related
• Longitudinal physical activity programs have a positive effect on executive functions in preadolescent children (g = 0.24) — related
• Open-skill exercises yield larger executive function benefits than closed-skill exercises for inhibitory control and working memory — related
• Specific physical fitness components are differentially associated with specific executive function domains in adolescents — related
• Longer exercise intervention duration is consistently associated with larger effect sizes on ADHD functional outcomes — related
• Non-cardio exercise (yoga, tai chi, walking) shows predominantly positive but questionable acute and chronic effects in children with ADHD — related
• Physical exercise has a significant modest positive effect on functional outcomes (executive functions and motor skills) in children with ADHD — related
• The effects of physical activity on cognition and academic outcomes depend on the subdomain examined — a broader claim this one bears on
• Acute exercise produces an overall small positive effect on cognition, with executive functions benefiting most and effects lasting up to two hours post-exercise — related
• Exercise intensity differentially moderates acute exercise cognitive benefits, with moderate intensity favoring executive functions and high intensity favoring information processing — related
• Sport-specific disciplines relate to distinct executive functions: tennis and football with inhibitory control and working memory, with a larger tennis association in males — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Longitudinal physical activity programs have a positive effect on academic performance in preadolescent children (g = 0.26) — related
• Intervention length may matter: a prior review found positive associations for decision-making and skill execution for interventions longer than 8 hours — related
• Mathematics outcomes benefit from PA with academic instruction of 6–10-week duration at moderate or moderate-to-vigorous intensity, and language outcomes from enriched PA programmes — related
• Physical activity interventions in childhood show no overall benefit for executive functions or academic achievement — related