A growing body of evidence highlights the profound influence of physical activity on brain health and psychological well-being. Physical activity not only enhances cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and executive control but also serves as a preventive and therapeutic strategy for mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety. Despite these advances, the underlying mechanisms linking physical activity to cognitive enhancement and mental health remain incompletely understood. Interdisciplinary research integrating movement science, psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral medicine is essential to clarify how different exercise modalities, intensities, and contexts contribute to cognitive and emotional outcomes across different populations. By bridging these domains, researchers can better understand how physical activity can be optimized as a preventive and therapeutic tool for cognitive enhancement and mental health promotion.
The primary goal of this Research Topic is to advance our understanding of how physical activity contributes to cognitive enhancement and mental health promotion through multidimensional perspectives. While existing studies consistently demonstrate the beneficial effects of physical activity, the precise mechanisms, individual differences, and contextual factors that shape these outcomes remain insufficiently understood. This Research Topic seeks to address these challenges by encouraging the integration of experimental, longitudinal, and mechanistic studies that explore both behavioral and neurobiological pathways. By integrating findings from neuroimaging, psychophysiology, and behavioral interventions, we hope to uncover how different types of exercise affect cognitive functions, mood regulation, and overall psychological resilience. Ultimately, this Research Topic aims to advance both theoretical understanding and practical applications of exercise-based strategies for cognitive and emotional well-being.
Areas of interest include, but are not limited to the following:
• Lifestyle-integrated physical activity, motivation, adherence, and environmental or social determinants that facilitate or hinder active behaviors across populations • Neurobiological, physiological, and psychosocial mechanisms through which physical activity influences brain plasticity, cognition, mood, and emotional regulation • Exploring the roles of self-efficacy, motivation, emotion regulation, and mental stress resilience in mediating the benefits of physical activity • Integrating movement science, psychology, and neuroscience to develop practical strategies for leveraging physical activity as a preventive or therapeutic tool • Effects of different modes, intensities, and frequencies of exercise interventions on cognitive and mental health outcomes
Contributions that translate scientific findings of exercise and mental health promotion into practical recommendations for public health, education, and workplace well-being initiatives
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Case Report
Clinical Trial
Conceptual Analysis
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
General Commentary
Hypothesis and Theory
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Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
