SynthesisBMC neurology2026
Long-term physical activity, brain structure, and cognitive function: a systematic review of longitudinal observational evidence.
Synthesis in BMC neurology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
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Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPhysical inactivity is a key modifiable risk factor for dementia, and physical activity is proposed to confer neuroprotective effects on brain structure and cognitive function.
objectivesTo synthesize longitudinal observational evidence on associations between long-term habitual physical activity and brain structural outcomes and cognitive function across adult age groups.
methodsFive databases were searched from inception to August 2024. Eligible studies enrolled adults aged ≥ 18 years without cognitive impairment or dementia, used validated accelerometry or self-report physical activity assessment, and employed longitudinal observational designs with a minimum 12-month exposure-to-outcome window. Risk of bias was assessed using the ROBINS-E tool.
resultsTwenty studies were included in the review. Higher habitual physical activity was consistently associated with preserved hippocampal and prefrontal grey matter volume and attenuated white matter microstructural decline. Executive function and processing speed showed the most consistent cognitive associations, with evidence of a dose-response accumulation effect across adulthood. Associations appeared amplified in APOE-ε4 carriers. Bidirectional analyses indicated preserved brain structure also predicted subsequent physical activity, suggesting reverse causation cannot be excluded. All 20 studies were rated "some concerns" on the ROBINS-E scale.
conclusionLongitudinal observational evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that sustained habitual physical activity is associated with preserved brain structure and attenuated cognitive decline, though causal inference is not warranted given the limitations of the observational design.
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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.