Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40816637›Full record

ArticleJournal of sport and health science2025

Fitness and exercise effects on brain age: A randomized clinical trial.

Lu Wan, Cristina Molina-Hidalgo, Mary E Crisafio, George Grove, Regina L Leckie, Thomas W Kamarck, Chaeryon Kang, Mia DeCataldo, Anna L Marsland, Matthew F Muldoon and 4 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of sport and health science, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Lu WanAdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute, Orlando, FL 32084, USA.
Cristina Molina-HidalgoAdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute, Orlando, FL 32084, USA.
Mary E CrisafioCollege of Health and Human Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA.
George GroveDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Regina L LeckieDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Psychology, Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, PA 15301, USA.
Thomas W KamarckDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Chaeryon KangDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Department of Biostatistics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Mia DeCataldoDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Anna L MarslandDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Matthew F MuldoonDepartment of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Mark R ScudderDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Javier RaseroSchool of Data Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA.
Peter J GianarosDepartment of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Kirk I EricksonAdventHealth Research Institute, Neuroscience Institute, Orlando, FL 32084, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. Electronic address: Kirk.Erickson@adventhealth.com.

Funding

Substrates of Threat and Reward Sensitivity and CVD RiskP01HL040962 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI ERICKSON, KIRK I · 1988 to 2022
$31.1M
NHLBI NIH HHS P01 HL040962
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMidlife lifestyle factors, including physical activity, are associated with late-life brain health, yet the role of aerobic exercise on structural brain health in early and mid-adulthood remains poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the effect of aerobic exercise on structural brain age and to explore potential mediators.

methodsIn a single-blind, 12-month randomized clinical trial, 130 healthy participants aged 26-58 years were randomized into a moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise group or a usual-care control group. The exercise group attended two supervised 60-min sessions per week in a laboratory setting plus engaged in home-based exercise to achieve 150 min of exercise per week. Brain-predicted age difference (brain-PAD) and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) were assessed at baseline and 12 months. Both intention-to-treat (ITT) and completers analyses (including participants who completed post-intervention assessments) were performed.

resultsThe 130 participants (67.7% female) had an age of 41.28 ± 9.93 years (mean ± SD). At baseline, higher CRF (peak oxygen uptake, VO

conclusionEngaging in 12 months of moderate-to-vigorous exercise reduced brain-PAD in early-to-midlife adults. The pathways by which these effects occur remain unknown.

Indexed as

Aerobic exerciseAgingBrainCardiorespiratory fitness

Identifiers

PMID40816637
PMCPMC12828596

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.