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Table 1 Cohort characteristics of included studies

From: The effects of chronic and acute physical activity on working memory performance in healthy participants: a systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Citation

Sample characteristics

Study characteristics

Inclusion/Exclusion criteria

Instrument(s)

Did working memory improve?

Brown, 2009

N = 154

Age: 62 to 95

M = 79.6

% Female: 88

Allocation: cluster randomization

Blinding: No

Attrition: 18%

Inclusion: NR

Exclusion: neurological, cardiovascular or musculoskeletal problem that precluded safe exercise participation, <20 MMSE, already attending exercise classes

WAIS-R Digit Span Forward and Backward

No

Budde, 2010

N = 60

Age: 15 to 16

M = 14.37

% Female: 43

Allocation: randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 2%

Inclusion: absence of dyslexia, a maximum BMI of 25, absence of mental or physical impairments, and no history of psychoactive substances

Exclusion: NR

Letter Digit Span

Yes, but only for low performers

Chang, 2011

N = 42

Age: NR

M = 21.97

% Female: 69

Allocation: mixed randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 0%

Inclusion: healthy history questionnaire, IPAQ, PAR-Q “no” for all responses, assessments to ensure no potential risk factors to impair aerobic exercise

Exclusion: NR

Tower of London

Yes

Fisher, 2011

N = 64

Age: NR

M = 6.1

% Female: 55

Allocation: randomization

Blinding: Yes

Attrition: 3%

Inclusion: no diagnosed cognitive disorder, physical impairments

Exclusion: reaction time to ANT is <200 ms indicating anticipatory responding

CANTAB Spatial Working Memory Errors

Yes

Hariprasad, 2013

N = 120

Age: ≥60

Intervention: M = 75.74

Control: M = 74.78

% Female: 83

Allocation: block randomization

Blinding: Yes

Attrition: 28%

Inclusion: >60 year olds from consenting elderly homes

Exclusion: “using MINI to exclude dementia or other neurodegenerative disorders, stroke, major depressive disorder, psychosis, anxiety disorder, severe hearing and visual impairment and inability to perform yoga practices; evaluated by clinician to rule out depression, dementia, and other psychiatric disorders; scores of >4 GDS, <26 HMSE excluded”

WMS Digit Span and WMS Spatial Span

Yes

Hogan, 2013

N = 144

Age: 19 to 93

Intervention: M = 51.34

Control: M = 50.79

% Female: 49

Allocation: stratified randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 0%

Inclusion: negative response for all PAR-Q, score of ≥23 MMSE, or received verbal permission from his or her doctor for participation

Exclusion: NR

N-back task (2-back)

Yes, faster reaction times reported

Chen, 2014

N = 87

Age: 3rd and 5th grade

3rd grade: 9.18

5th grade: 11.11

% Female: 48

Allocation: stratification randomization

Blinding: No

Attrition: 0%

Inclusion: “scores of PAR-Q = 6, >90 WISC-IV-C, >160 SCL-90-C, no attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, right handed, normal or corrected-to-normal vision, not color-blinded, and not be taking psychoactive medications”

Exclusion: NR

N-back task (2-back) modified

Yes, but only for 5th grade group

Gothe, 2014

N = 118

Age: 55 to 79

M = 62.0

% Female: 83

Allocation: randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 8%

Inclusion: “participants had to be between 55 and 79 years of age, scores of >21 TICS, ≥5 GDS required, English speaking, report being sedentary for at least the previous 6 months, have no on-going regular yoga practice, be able to get up and down from the floor, have good or corrected vision (20/40), and be willing to be randomized into one of two exercise groups”

Exclusion: NR

N-back task (1-back and 2-back)

Yes

Nouchi, 2014

N = 64

Age: 60 and older

Intervention: M = 75.74

Control: M = 67.06

% Female: NR

Allocation: randomization

Blinding: Yes

Attrition: 5%

Inclusion: “right-handed, native Japanese speakers, unconcerned about their own memory functions, not using medications known to interfere with cognitive functions, and having no disease known to affect the central nervous system; did not exercise regularly, not members of a gym/health club, and not participating in another exercise study”

Exclusion: scores of <85 JART, <26 MMSE, 12 < FAB, participation in other cognitive-related studies

WAIS Digit Span Forward and Backward

No

Vaughn, 2014

N = 49

Age: 65 to 75

Intervention: M = 69.0

Control: M = 68.8

% Female: 100

Allocation: randomization

Blinding: Yes

Attrition: 2%

Inclusion: screening via age, gender, amount of weekly exercise, ability to walk 20 m, availability, TICS, PAR-Q

Exclusion: cognitive impairment via ≥31 TICS, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or recent head injury

Letter-Number Sequencing

Yes

Bantoft, 2015

N = 45

Age: NR

M = 22.67

% Female: 71

Allocation: counterbalanced randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 0%

Inclusion: screening via WTAR, HADS

Exclusion: pregnancy, heath conditions (i.e. heart disease, chronic back pain)

Digit Span Forward and Backward

WAIS Letter-Number Sequencing

No

Basso, 2015

N = 92

Age: 18 to 35

M = 22.21

% Female: 60

Allocation: randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 8%

Inclusion: NR

Exclusion: had major surgery within prior 6 months, past or present history of drug or alcohol abuse, had a diagnosed psychiatric or neurological condition, taking medication known to affect cognition, unable to safely participate in an aerobic exercise program

Digit Span

Yes

Howie, 2015

N = 96

Age: 9 to 12

M = 10.7

% Female: 65

Allocation: randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 2

Inclusion: NR

Exclusion: NR

Digit Span modified

No

Albinet, 2016

N = 41

Age: 60 to 80

Intervention: M = 67

Control: M = 66

% Female: 72

Allocation: randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 12%

Inclusion: screened by personal physician “who rated them as being in good health”, retired, aged between 60 and 80 years, ≥26 MMSE, physically sedentary via DSPA, able to swim, agreement to be randomized

Exclusion: taking medication that could affect cardiovascular health or cognitive functions, carrying a pacemaker, cardiorespiratory or neurological disease, major surgery within one year prior to testing

N-back task (2-back)

Spatial Running Span task

Verbal Running Span task

Yes

Chapman, 2016

N = 67

Age: 56 to 75

Intervention M = 63.5

Control M = 64

% Female: 73

Allocation: block randomization

Blinding: NR

Attrition: 18%

Inclusion: no history of neurological or psychiatric conditions, normal IQ range, native English speakers, and minimum of high school diploma

Exclusion: MR scanning contraindications, cognitive status (TICS-M <28 and MoCA <26), depression indication (BDI-II >14), left-handedness, body mass (BMI >40, kg/m2)

Reading Span Task (Daneman Carpenter)

No

  1. ANT Attention Network Test, BDI Beck Depression Inventory, BMI Body Maximum Index, CANTAB Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Battery, DSPA Dijon Score of Physical Activity, FAB Frontal Assessment Battery, GDS Geriatric Depression Scale, HADS Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HMSE Hindi Mental Scale Examination, IPAQ International Physical Activity Questionnaire, JART Japanese Reading Test, MINI Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, MMSE Mini Mental State Exam, MoCA Montreal Cognitive Assessment, PAR-Q Physical Activity Readiness-Questionnaire, SCL Symptom Checklist-90-Chinese Version, TICS Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status, WAIS-R Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-revised, WISC-IV-C Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV-Chinese, WMS Wechsler Memory Scale, WTAR Wechsler Test for Adult Reading, NR not reported