Physical exercise can influence cognitive performance and neurobiological processes, but evidence spans diverse modalities, intensities, and adult populations. Acute exercise represents a state of transient skeletal muscle activation that induces systemic signaling through metabolic, endocrine, and myokine-mediated pathways, which may contribute to neurocognitive modulation. To map the breadth of acute exercise–cognition research, characterize cognitive and biological outcomes, and identify consistent patterns and gaps. Studies of adults (≥18 years) involving a single exercise session or short microcycle (≤7 days) with pre–post assessment of cognition and/or neurobiological markers across any exercise modality (aerobic, resistance, high-intensity interval training/HIIT, combined, vibration, mind–body) were included. PubMed and CENTRAL were systematically searched, yielding 101 studies. Data were extracted using a structured framework capturing exercise modality, dose, cognitive domains, biomarkers, neuroimaging outcomes, population characteristics, and study design features. Most studies examined young adults (53%) or older adults (32%). Aerobic exercise predominated (62%), followed by resistance (18%) and combined modalities (12%). Moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise consistently improved executive function, processing speed, and working memory. Resistance exercise also enhanced executive function in several trials (31 studies). Neurobiological correlates included increases in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), lactate, catecholamines, and prefrontal activation, though variability in sampling limited mechanistic conclusions. Acute exercise is consistently associated with improvements in executive function and processing speed across modalities. Standardized exercise protocols, biomarker timing, and cognitive assessments are needed to strengthen mechanistic synthesis.
Sabine D. Brookman-May (Mon,) studied this question.