Exercise and the Thinking Brain: Cognition, Memory and Executive Function Across the Lifespan

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in outpatient, neurologic, geriatric, pediatric, home health and wellness settings who talk with patients and families about the effects of exercise on thinking, memory and day-to-day mental organisation. Physical therapist assistants work under the direction of the supervising physical therapist; the course is presented as evidence reporting, not as instruction to change a plan of care.

Licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. No prior background in cognitive assessment or research methods is assumed.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Introductory

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course is based on a single source: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials evaluating the effects of exercise on general cognition, memory and executive function across all populations and ages. The review included 133 systematic reviews, covering 2,724 randomised controlled trials and 258,279 participants, and was preregistered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023468991).

All findings, figures and conclusions described in this course come from that source document. No outside claims, guidelines or data have been added.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe what the umbrella review examined, who was included across age groups and clinical populations, and the direction of its findings for general cognition, memory and executive function.
2. Name the groups and exercise characteristics the review identified as showing the largest gains, including children and adolescents, people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, exergames and mind-body exercise.
3. State the main limits the authors reported, including the low methodological quality of most included reviews, varied cognitive testing tools, ceiling effects, and signs of publication bias.

1. Start Here: how this course works and what it is based on
2. Podcast: Exercise and the Thinking Brain (about nine minutes)
3. Exercise and Cognitive Health: What the Umbrella Review Examined
4. How the Reviews Were Searched, Screened and Scored
5. What Exercise Did for General Cognition, Memory and Executive Function
6. Where the Evidence Is Shaky: Quality, Measurement and Publication Bias
7. What the Authors Say This Could Mean in Practice
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-test and course evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course is based on a single source: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials evaluating the effects of exercise on general cognition, memory and executive function across all populations and ages. The review included 133 systematic reviews, covering 2,724 randomised controlled trials and 258,279 participants, and was preregistered on PROSPERO (ID: CRD42023468991).
2. All findings, figures and conclusions described in this course come from that source document. No outside claims, guidelines or data have been added.