Exercise improved reaction time and increased P3 amplitude in overweight/obese individuals across 14 studies, with favorable but less certain effects on reaction accuracy and N2 amplitude.
Systematic Review (n=14)
Does exercise improve cognitive performance (reaction time, reaction accuracy) and ERP (P3, N2 amplitudes) in overweight and obese populations?
Exercise confers measurable behavioral and electrophysiological gains (faster reaction time, larger P3 amplitude) in individuals with elevated BMI.
Effect estimate: Exercise associated with faster RT and larger P3 amplitude; directionally favorable effects on RA and N2 amplitude with lower certainty
Abstract Individuals with overweight/obesity often show cognitive-control deficits, reflected in slower reaction times, lower accuracy, attenuated P3, and altered N2. We meta-analysed randomized controlled and within-subject crossover studies comparing exercise versus non-exercise controls during standard cognitive-control tasks. Primary outcomes were reaction time (RT), reaction accuracy (RA), P3 amplitude, and N2 amplitude; risk of bias was assessed with Cochrane RoB 2, and ERP reporting was evaluated with a checklist aligned to RoB-2 D4/D5. Across 14 studies, exercise was associated with faster RT and larger P3 amplitude. RA and N2 showed directionally favorable but lower-certainty effects, reflecting substantial heterogeneity, small samples, and limitations in ERP quality reporting (e.g., sparse SNR/QC metrics; infrequent assessor blinding). Exploratory subgroup/meta-regression analyses offered limited explanatory power overall but suggested potential contributions of task paradigm, exercise mode, and design/comparator features—effects appeared larger in Stroop/Flanker than Go/No-Go and tended to be more pronounced for higher-arousal modes and under baseline/assessment-only controls and in designs incorporating baseline assessments—though these patterns should be interpreted cautiously given residual heterogeneity, sparse strata, and multiple comparisons. Exercise thus confers measurable behavioral and electrophysiological gains in individuals with elevated BMI, consistent with cerebral blood-flow/neuroplasticity and catecholaminergic arousal mechanisms. Improved prespecification/multiplicity control and transparent ERP reporting are needed to strengthen future evidence and clarify dose–response and timing effects.
Balu et al. (Sun,) conducted a systematic review in Overweight and obese individuals (n=14). Exercise (aerobic, resistance, or combined) vs. Non-exercise controls (seated rest, quiet reading/usual activity) or time/attention-matched sedentary activities was evaluated on Reaction time (RT) and P3 amplitude; Reaction accuracy (RA) and N2 amplitude also assessed (Exercise associated with faster RT and larger P3 amplitude; directionally favorable effects on RA and N2 amplitude with lower certainty). Exercise improved reaction time and increased P3 amplitude in overweight/obese individuals across 14 studies, with favorable but less certain effects on reaction accuracy and N2 amplitude.