Effects of physical activity on cognition in adults.

Understanding how physical activity impacts cognition in adults is an area of active research with important implications for an aging and sedentary population. This chapter examines the current state of knowledge on the association between physical activity and cognition in younger and older adults. It discusses current related theories and models that are grounded in physiology. It highlights the current research methodologies used for investigating the effects of physical activity on cognition. The chapter summarizes the evidence for the effects of acute and chronic exercise on cognition in younger and older adults. It concludes by discussing the need for a unified theory to explain how transient cognitive changes immediately following an acute bout of exercise adapt with chronic training into long-lasting cognitive changes at rest. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)