Physical exercise decelerates executive function decline in aging: An umbrella review

Compared to the summary effect of the full model, the initially reported and recalculated effects had an average deviation of 0.15 and 0.08, respectively. A positive correlation existed between the publication year and the number of included original studies (Kendall's τ = 0.418, p < .001), reflecting an exponential growth in the literature. Various methods, including visual inspections of funnel plots, the trim-and-fill procedure, and Egger's test, were employed to assess publication bias, ultimately determining the effect size of physical exercise on improving executive function to be d=0.22, 95% CI [0.07, 0.12], higher than the pre-correction estimate.

This finding emphasizes the significant role of physical exercise in delaying the decline of executive function in healthy older individuals, while also highlighting the need for future research to remain vigilant about publication bias and to employ comprehensive methods for evaluating and reporting study outcomes.