Exercise first: acute aerobic exercise before practice selectively enhances spatial outcomes of motor learning - A...

(235 words) Acute aerobic exercise (AAE) has been shown to influence motor learning outcomes, but previous studies have typically focused on overall performance measures, leaving it unclear whether spatial and temporal components are differentially affected. In addition, the impact of exercise timing and intensity on these effects has not yet been investigated. This pre-registered meta-analysis aimed to evaluate these effects. A systematic search of four databases (Web of Science, ERIC, MEDLINE, SPORTDiscus) identified 18 studies including 657 participants. Spatial and temporal outcomes of motor learning were analyzed separately, considering whether AAE was performed before or after motor task practice. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed, with Hedges' g as the effect size. Overall, our findings demonstrated that AAE performed before motor task practice selectively enhanced spatial outcomes of motor learning (g = 0.30, 95%CI [0.14; 0.47], p = 0.0003), whereas temporal components showed no significant change (g = 0.01, 95%CI [-0.15; 0.17], p = 0.911). A meta-regression indicated that high AAE intensity significantly moderated this effect (g = 0.48, 95% CI [0.28; 0.69], p < 0.001). These findings indicate that spatial and temporal components of motor learning are differentially sensitive to AAE, with spatial outcomes preferentially enhanced by AAE performed before motor task practice and at high AAE intensities. This distinction has important implications for sports training and clinical rehabilitation, suggesting that interventions can be tailored to prioritize spatial precision over temporal aspects, thereby enhancing specific motor learning outcomes.