{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T14:19:58Z","timestamp":1789395598058,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":59,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789171200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Brain Sci.","Brain Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Physical exercise improves working memory (WM) across the lifespan, yet the neural mechanisms underlying this benefit remain incompletely understood, and it is unclear whether intervention-induced neuroplastic changes and long-term exercise-related differences converge on common neural circuits. Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and CNKI through June 2026 and included 11 task-based fMRI studies (6 longitudinal interventions and 5 cross-sectional comparisons; 403 participants) reporting whole-brain activation coordinates. Activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analyses were performed separately for activation increases and decreases within each design. Results: Longitudinal studies revealed exercise-induced activation increases in the bilateral cerebellum (posterior lobe, cerebellar tonsil) and decreases in the right thalamus. Cross-sectional studies revealed greater activation in the left middle temporal gyrus (BA 21) and reduced activation in the right cingulate gyrus (BA 24) and left caudate body among long-term exercisers relative to controls. Critically, the two designs yielded spatially non-overlapping patterns. Conclusions: These findings support a dual-mechanism model in which exercise strengthens task-positive network engagement while optimizing the suppression of task-irrelevant processing. They further suggest that exercise shapes working memory circuitry across distinct, timescale-dependent neural circuits.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/brainsci16090963","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,14]],"date-time":"2026-09-14T13:05:26Z","timestamp":1789391126000},"page":"963","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exercise Modulates Working Memory-Related Brain Activation Through Bidirectional Neural Mechanisms: An ALE Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional fMRI Studies"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Jiayu","family":"Wang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School for Physical Education, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jun","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty for Physical Education, Shanghai International Studies University, 550 Dalian West Road, Hongkou District, Shanghai 200083, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-7348-055X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wenshuang","family":"Tang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, 399 Changhai Road, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200438, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"829","DOI":"10.1038\/nrn1201","article-title":"Working memory: Looking back and looking forward","volume":"4","author":"Baddeley","year":"2003","journal-title":"Nat. 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