The aim of this systematic review was to examine the effects of physical exercise training on cerebral blood flow (CBF), which is a physiological marker of cerebrovascular function. Relationships between training-induced effects on CBF with changes in cognitive performance were also discussed. A systematic search was performed up to July 2022. Forty-five intervention studies with experimental, quasi-experimental, or pre–post designs were included. Sixteen studies (median duration: 14 weeks) investigated effects of physical exercise training on CBF markers using magnetic resonance imaging, 20 studies (median duration: 14 weeks) used transcranial Doppler ultrasound, and eight studies (median duration: 8 weeks) used near-infrared spectroscopy. Studies using magnetic resonance imaging observed consistent increases in CBF in the anterior cingulate cortex and hippocampus, but not in whole-brain CBF. Effects on resting CBF—measured with transcranial Doppler ultrasound and near-infrared spectroscopy—were variable, while middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity increased in some studies following exercise or hypercapnic stimuli. Interestingly, concomitant changes in physical fitness and regional CBF were observed, while a relation between training-induced effects on CBF and cognitive performance was evident. In conclusion, exercise training improved cerebrovascular function because regional CBF was changed. Studies are however still needed to establish whether exercise-induced improvements in CBF are sustained over longer periods of time and underlie the observed beneficial effects on cognitive performance.

本系统评价的目的是检查体育锻炼对脑血流量 (CBF) 的影响，CBF 是脑血管功能的生理标志。还讨论了训练对 CBF 的影响与认知表现变化之间的关系。进行了截至 2022 年 7 月的系统搜索。纳入了 45 项实验性、准实验性或事前事后设计的干预研究。16 项研究（中位持续时间：14 周）使用磁共振成像调查体育锻炼对 CBF 标志物的影响，20 项研究（中位持续时间：14 周）使用经颅多普勒超声，8 项研究（中位持续时间：8 周）使用近红外光谱。使用磁共振成像的研究观察到前扣带皮层和海马体的 CBF 持续增加，但全脑 CBF 没有增加。对静息 CBF 的影响——通过经颅多普勒超声和近红外光谱测量——是可变的，而在一些研究中，大脑中动脉血流速度在运动或高碳酸血症刺激后增加。有趣的是，观察到身体健康和区域 CBF 的伴随变化，而训练对 CBF 的影响与认知表现之间的关系是明显的。总之，运动训练改善了脑血管功能，因为区域 CBF 发生了变化。