Cumulative evidence indicates that physical exercise has positive effects on cognitive functions. Physical activity decreases the rate of cognitive decline both in healthy people and in people with neurodegenerative disorders across the lifespan.^1-5 Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity has been shown to be associated with improved learning and memory,^1,6,7 executive functions,⁸ and reaction time.⁹ A recent longitudinal population-based study including 2,060 cognitively unimpaired men and women aged 70 years or older showed that light-intensity midlife physical activity was associated with less decline in memory function, and vigorous late-life physical activity was associated with less decline in language, attention, and global cognition compared with the no physical activity reference group.¹⁰ Physical activity has also been associated with a reduced risk of dementia among individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).¹¹ Aerobic exercise has beneficial effects on cognitive symptoms in Alzheimer disease (AD),^12-14 frontotemporal dementia,¹⁵ and Parkinson disease (PD).^16-19 For example, randomized controlled trials show that physical exercise improved cognition in both AD and MCI groups, with an effect size similar to that of donepezil.²⁰ In patients with PD, aerobic exercise increased functional connectivity of the anterior putamen with the sensorimotor cortex and functional connectivity in the right frontoparietal network, stabilizing disease progression in the corticostriatal sensorimotor network and enhancing cognitive performance.²¹ Exercise training program also had positive effects on prefrontal activity and gait performance.²²

累积证据表明，体育锻炼对认知功能有积极影响。体育活动可降低健康人和神经退行性疾病患者在整个生命周期中的认知能力下降速度。^1-5中度到剧烈的身体活动已被证明与改善学习和记忆、^1、6、7执行功能、⁸和反应时间有关。⁹最近一项基于人群的纵向研究包括 2,060 名年龄在 70 岁或以上的认知未受损的男性和女性，结果表明，轻度中年体力活动与记忆功能下降较少相关，而剧烈的晚年体力活动与语言下降较少相关、注意力和全局认知与无身体活动参考组相比。¹⁰体力活动也与轻度认知障碍 (MCI) 个体的痴呆风险降低有关。^{11有氧运动对阿尔茨海默病 (AD)、 12-14}额颞叶痴呆、¹⁵和帕金森病 (PD)的认知症状有益。^16-19例如，随机对照试验表明，体育锻炼可以改善 AD 和 MCI 组的认知，其效果与多奈哌齐相似。²⁰在 PD 患者中，有氧运动增加了前壳核与感觉运动皮层的功能连接以及右额顶叶网络的功能连接，稳定了皮质纹状体感觉运动网络的疾病进展并提高了认知能力。²¹运动训练计划对前额活动和步态表现也有积极影响。²²