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This meta-review provides the first meta-analytic evidence from published meta-analyses examining the effectiveness of acute exercise interventions on cognitive function. A multilevel meta-analysis with a random-effects model and tests of moderators were performed in R. Thirty systematic reviews with meta-analyses (383 unique studies with 18,347 participants) were identified. Acute exercise significantly improved cognitive function with a small-to-medium effect (N of standardized mean difference SMD = 44, mean SMD M SMD = 0.33, 95% CI 0.24, 0.42, p M SMD = 0.37), mixed/other (M SMD = 0.36), executive function (M SMD = 0.36), memory (M SMD = 0.23), and information processing (M SMD = 0.20). The timepoint of assessment was a significant moderator (p M SMD = 0.32). Sample descriptors (i.e., age, cognitive status) and exercise parameters (i.e., intensity, type, duration) did not moderate the positive acute exercise effect on cognitive function (ps > .05). Acute exercise facilitates cognitive function, with the size of the effect varying depending on the timing of assessment in relation to exercise. Notably, these benefits are evident across cognitive domains and occur regardless of participants' characteristics and exercise settings, supporting the adoption of acute exercise for improved cognitive function across the lifespan. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
Chang et al. (2025) studied this question.