The Acute Effects of Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise on Core Executive Functions in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Abstract

There is growing interest in examining acute effects of exercise on cognitive functions and neurocognitive outcomes. These behavioral and neurocognitive outcomes have been most frequently investigated in healthy young individuals, but relatively few studies have examined healthy older adults. This study aimed to systematically review the effects of acute moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (MIAE) on core executive functions, including inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, in healthy older adults. A database search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted using a systematic search strategy. Acute MIAE interventions assessing core executive functions using randomized or stratified controlled trials investigating healthy older adults were reviewed. Eleven studies were identified, and the behavioral results from all included studies revealed that acute MIAE can improve core executive functions in healthy adults. However, incompatible results were observed in activated areas of the prefrontal cortex following MIAE in older adults. The limited number of studies investigating the effects of MIAE on core executive functions in older healthy adults with moderate overall quality restricts the conclusions. Therefore, more robust quality studies using neuroimaging techniques to investigate core executive functions, especially working memory and cognitive flexibility, are needed to explain the neural and behavioral mechanisms.