Effects of Exercise Training on Executive Functioning in Adults with Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Free-living physical activity and executive function: A multi-study analysis of age groups and times of day

“…Our findings implicate that free-living PA is of high relevance for EF, which, again, is relevant for individuals to engage in health behaviours ( Dong et al., 2022 ). EF are closely linked to individuals’ mental health (e.g., depressive symptoms), and PA could be a promising solution to increase EF and therefore improve diverse mental health aspects ( Ren et al., 2023 ). Investigating the importance of a physically active lifestyle is becoming increasingly important, and our paper helps generate hypotheses for future studies regarding differences between age groups as well as time of day.…”

“…One possible factor that mediates the link between PA and different mental health aspects (e.g., depressive symptoms) is executive function (EF; Dong et al., 2022 ): a set of higher order cognitive functions enabling individuals to direct and regulate their cognitions, emotions, and actions in a goal-oriented manner ( Barkley, 2001 ). EF deficits can be observed for example in individuals with depression, and PA presents a promising nonpharmacological intervention to increase EF in this population ( Ren et al., 2023 ). On the neurophysiological level, PA alters brain activity and connectivity, thereby improving EF ( Erickson et al., 2015 ), which could indirectly explain the positive association between PA and mental health.…”