Effects of exercise on cognitive functioning in adults with serious mental illness: A meta analytic review

•Chronic exercise was associated with large magnitude positive effects on reasoning and problem solving and small effects on executive functioning in SMI.•Per diagnosis, moderate magnitude positive effects on executive functioning and large effects on processing speed in people with depression; large magnitude positive effects on reasoning and problem solving in people with schizophrenia.•Exercise in patients with SMI may reinforces the potential benefits of physical activity assessment, prescription, and monitoring in adults with these conditions.