ArticleMedicine and science in sports and exercise2025
Physical Activity Is Positively Associated with Model-Based Decision-Making in Pursuit of Reward in Trauma-Exposed Adults.
Article in Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Physical activity moderates the relationship between PTSD symptom severity and approach-avoidance conflict decision-making.Journal of anxiety disorders · 2025Article
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7 authors.
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Abstract
purposeSequential decision-making often involves a combination of simple trial-and-error learning (i.e., model-free learning) and more sophisticated learning where an abstract representation of the environment is formed, thereby facilitating prospective predictions about likely outcomes based on different choices (i.e., model-based learning). As such, the utilization of a model-based approach is thought to be advantageous in many contexts as it provides a more informed cognitive map. Emerging research suggests that trauma exposure may have a detrimental effect on model-based learning, which suggests that there may be clinical utility in examining pharmacological and/or behavioral approaches that boost model-based behavior. Although greater habitual physical activity (PA) is associated with enhanced cognitive function, no prior studies have examined the specific domain of model-based decision-making. This study aimed to examine whether greater PA is associated with greater model-based decision-making in pursuit of reward among trauma-exposed adults ( N = 84).
methodsParticipants (62% women, 55% White, M ± SD age = 28 ± 9 y) completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form and a two-stage Markov task capable of quantifying model-free versus model-based decision-making. Mixed-effects logistic regression models were used to determine if PA volume (quartiles of MET·min/wk) promotes greater engagement in model-based behavioral strategies during the task.
resultsParticipants from quartile 2 ( β = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.11-0.23), quartile 3 ( β = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.21-0.33), and quartile 4 ( β = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.17-0.30) exhibited greater model-based decision-making compared with participants from quartile 1 ( β = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.02-0.14), with participants from quartile 3 exhibiting greater model-based decision-making compared with quartile 2.
conclusionsPA volume is positively associated with a greater propensity to utilize model-based behavioral strategies during decision-making in pursuit of reward in trauma-exposed adults. Future research is needed to examine whether changes in PA behavior predict subsequent changes in model-based behavior.
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