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Effects of Physical Exercise on Executive Function in Schizophrenia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Nuria Pérez-Romero1, Christian Campos-Jara2, Caterina Pesce3
1Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, Postgraduate, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Universidad Andres Bello, Santiago 7591538, Chile.
Sports (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 25, 2025
Summary
Physical exercise shows a small benefit for working memory in schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Effects on other executive functions like emotion recognition remain unclear, requiring further research.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Exercise Science
Background:
- Executive functions are frequently impaired in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
- Physical exercise interventions are being explored to improve cognitive deficits in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the effect of physical exercise on executive functions in adults diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and EBSCO databases.
- Inclusion of 9 studies following PRISMA guidelines, with data extraction and risk of bias assessment by two independent reviewers.
- Meta-analysis using random-effects models to calculate effect sizes (ES) and confidence intervals (CI).
Main Results:
- A small but significant positive effect of physical exercise on working memory (ES = 0.300, p = 0.014).
- Non-significant effects were found for emotion recognition (ES = 0.51), inhibition (ES = 0.156), and cognitive flexibility (ES = 0.240).
- Heterogeneity was low for working memory and inhibition, but higher for emotion recognition and cognitive flexibility.
Conclusions:
- Physical exercise, especially aerobic exercise, offers a small benefit for working memory in schizophrenia spectrum disorders.
- Evidence for exercise's impact on emotion recognition is less conclusive and may depend on exercise modality (e.g., yoga).
- Further high-quality research is necessary to establish definitive conclusions regarding exercise and executive functions in this population.
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