SynthesisScientific reports2024
The effects of high-intensity interval training on cognitive performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of high-intensity interval training for mental health and executive function in university students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- High-intensity interval training differentially modulates acute BDNF and cognitive responses in young adult males: a randomized crossover trial.Scientific reports · 2026Trial
- Role of Exercise in Modulating the Brain-Heart Axis in Cardiovascular Diseases.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Clinicopathological predictors of central lymph node metastasis in clinically node-negative papillary thyroid carcinoma: a retrospective cohort analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2026Article
- Bioactive compounds and exercise in aging and neurodegeneration: mechanistic insights from the gut-brain-metabolic axis.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Hidden in plain sight: verbal declarative memory effects of exercise are eight times larger than aggregate estimates suggest.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2026Article
- Article
- Intervention effects of high-intensity interval exercise and moderate-intensity continuous exercise on executive functions in obese adolescents with low socioeconomic status.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- The effects of an acute exercise on executive function in Chinese undergraduate students.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Effects of Sprint Interval Training on Brain Fatigue Resistance in Competitive Skateboarders: Evidence from EEG, HRV, and VAS Measures.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Acute Exercise-Induced Epinephrine Elevation Promotes Post-Learning Memory Consolidation: A Narrative Review of Mechanisms and Implementation Strategies.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Crosstalk between skeletal muscle and the brain during physical activity - in search of epigenetic mechanisms.Epigenetics · 2025Review
- Traditional Health Practices May Promote Nrf2 Activation Similar to Exercise.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- High intensity interval training and selenium nanoparticles protect hippocampal neurons and enhance cognitive function in diabetic rats.Scientific reports · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Cognitive decline is an important feature of an aging population. Despite the large body of research investigating the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on cognitive performance, reports of its effectiveness are inconsistent and it is difficult to determine what factors moderate these effects. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of existing randomised controlled trials investigating the effects of HIIT on various domains of cognitive performance, and to further examine the intervention cycle and age-related moderating effects. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across a range of databases, including PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, and EBSCO. The meta-analysis included data from 20 RCT studies. The results of the analyses demonstrated that HIIT significantly enhanced information processing (SMD = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.15-0.52, P = 0.0005), executive function (SMD = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.26 - 0.50, P < 0.00001), and memory (SMD = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.07-0.35, P = 0.004). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that HIIT enhanced information processing in individuals aged 60 and above, improved executive functioning in individuals of all ages, and enhanced memory in individuals aged 30 to 60. Acute HIIT improved executive function, less than 8 weeks of HIIT improved executive function and memory, and more than 8 weeks of HIIT improved information processing, executive function and memory. The findings of this study indicate that HIIT has a beneficial effect on cognitive performance. Chronic HIIT represents a potential non-pharmacological intervention for cognitive health. Further high-quality research is required to validate and extend these findings.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.