Working memory is crucial to learning and academic success. Exercise has been found to benefit working memory in late life, but its effects during cognitive development are less clear. Building on findings that working memory is supported by the motor system, we highlight the sensitivity of different working memory components to acute and long-term exercise in children and adolescents. We also consider how the specific skill demands of endurance and coordinative exercise influence this sensitivity. Distinct effects of these exercise types are further linked with neurocognitive and neuroendocrine pathways. Our review suggests long-term rather than acute benefits of exercise for children and adolescents’ working memory, which are more pronounced and specific for exercise with high coordinative demands.

工作记忆对学习和学业成功至关重要。已发现锻炼有益于晚年的工作记忆，但其在认知发展中的影响尚不清楚。基于运动系统支持工作记忆的研究结果，我们强调了不同工作记忆成分对儿童和青少年急性和长期运动的敏感性。我们还考虑了耐力和协调运动的特定技能要求如何影响这种敏感性。这些运动类型的不同效果与神经认知和神经内分泌途径进一步相关。我们的审查表明，运动对儿童和青少年的工作记忆具有长期而非急性的益处，这对于具有高协调性需求的运动更为明显和具体。