Editorial: Effects of Physical Exercise on Brain and Cognitive Functioning

This Research Topic (RT) focused on the effects of physical activity (PA) on brain and cognitive functions across the lifespan. A growing body of literature highlights how a physically active lifestyle is associated with reduced risk of dementia, better cognitive functioning, physiological changes in the brain and overall wellbeing. In this vein, studies on people with a sedentary lifestyle highlight an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and a higher rate of early mortality. However, many studies found contrasting or inconclusive results, depending on different targeted population, tests, andmethodologies. Age and activity type seemto influence brain state, but underlyingmechanisms remain unclear. This RT addresses how the brain and cognitive functioning is influenced by PA, as well as the psychological benefits of an active lifestyle across the lifespan. It contains 9 contributions on the effect of physical exercise on brain plasticity and cognitive functioning, including original research articles (5), systematic reviews and meta-analyses (3), and a brief research report (1). How can older adults counteract age-related declines and lead longer, healthier, and fuller working lives? Across the lifespan, the brain exhibits notable plasticity and adapts to environmental changes via modifying brain function and neural connectivity (Goh and Park, 2009; Park and Reuter-Lorenz, 2009; Reuter-Lorenz and Park, 2014). PA, cognitive training, and social engagement are major intervention approaches to improve brain health and cognitive functioning across the lifespan (Hillman et al., 2014; Ballesteros et al., 2015; Donnelly et al., 2016; Kramer and Colcombe, 2018; Ballesteros, 2022). A great deal of research supports that PA protects against age-related cognitive declines enhancing executive functions andmemory (Hötting and Röder, 2013; Voelcker- Rehage and Niemann, 2013). This RT aims to provide a current picture of the state of the art on the effect of PA interventions on brain and cognition across the lifespan in healthy individuals and patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).