Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (652 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The act, process, or result of passing from one place or position to another. It differs from locomotion in that locomotion is restricted to the passing of the whole body from one place to another, while movement encompasses both locomotion but also a change of the position of the whole body or any of its parts. Movement may be used with reference to humans, vertebrate and invertebrate animals, and microorganisms. Differentiate also from motor activity, movement associated with behavior.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Movements.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena
- Narrower topics
- Locomotion; Organ Motion; Eye Movements; Head Movements; Motor Activity
- See also
- Immobilization; Motion; Kinesiology, Applied
Related concepts
- Locomotion
- Motor Activity
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 739,045 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Movement” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 178,042 of them (24.1%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 269,641 records.
Reviews account for 67,351 records (9.1%) and meta-analyses for 8,359. Randomized controlled trials number 40,541 (5.5%) as a share of all records on the topic.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 145,475 |
| 2000-2009 | 145,887 |
| 2010-2019 | 269,641 |
| 2020 onward | 178,042 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 67,351 | 9.1% |
| Meta-analyses | 8,359 | 1.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 40,541 | 5.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Movement"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The motor pattern of rolling escape locomotion in Drosophila larvae | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 7 | cc by PMID 42677474 · DOI · PMC13615696 |
| Tissue flow acts as a guidance cue for immune cell polarization and directional migration | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42706384 · DOI · PMC13661273 |
| The effect of increases in physical activity on oral health and function in older adults in Singapore: A longitudinal causal inference study | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 1 | cc by PMID 42664809 · DOI · PMC13545370 |
The motor pattern of rolling escape locomotion in Drosophila larvae [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- When undisturbed, Drosophila larvae move forward through their environment with sweeping waves of caudal to rostral muscle contractions.
- Closing excerpt
- Finally, an analysis of the connectivity of inputs to larval motor neurons revealed a ring-like network architecture that could support the sequence of activation of the rolling motor pattern.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (249 words)
When undisturbed, Drosophila larvae move forward through their environment with sweeping waves of caudal to rostral muscle contractions. In stark contrast, nociceptive sensory stimuli trigger the larvae to roll across the substrate by corkscrewing around the long body axis. Here, we have determined the detailed timing of muscle activation that generates the body rotation across abdominal segments. To do so, we developed a high-speed confocal time-lapse imaging preparation that allowed us to trigger rolling with nociceptor optogenetics while simultaneously imaging a genetically encoded calcium sensor expressed in the muscles. Of the 30 muscles present in each larval abdominal hemisegment, we found that only 11 muscles are consistently and specifically activated across segments during rolling. Eight additional muscles are more sparsely activated. Importantly, the sequential pattern of muscle recruitment during rolling is completely distinct from that of forward or reverse crawling. A roll involves a wave of muscle activation that propagates around the larval circumference (in the transverse plane of each segment) and involves four co-active muscle groups. A pattern of activation progresses from co-active ventral muscle groups to dorsal groups and then spreads across the midline to the contralateral dorsal muscle groups, then progresses back to the ventral groups. The direction of a roll is determined by the clockwise or counterclockwise order of muscle group activation around the transverse plane. Finally, an analysis of the connectivity of inputs to larval motor neurons revealed a ring-like network architecture that could support the sequence of activation of the rolling motor pattern.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42677474 · DOI · PMC13615696
Tissue flow acts as a guidance cue for immune cell polarization and directional migration [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Embryonic myeloid (EM) cells are the first immune-cell population to emerge during development and must disperse throughout the embryo to act as the first line of defence against infection.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings reveal that mechanical cues generated by surrounding tissue flows coordinate immune-cell migration during development, highlighting an overlooked mechanism by which collective tissue dynamics guide individual cell behaviour.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (159 words)
Embryonic myeloid (EM) cells are the first immune-cell population to emerge during development and must disperse throughout the embryo to act as the first line of defence against infection. Although EM cells migrate directionally toward wounds, how they navigate through unwounded tissues during early colonization remains unclear. Here we show that EM cell dispersion in Xenopus embryos is driven, at least in part, by cell-on-cell migration, an important yet underappreciated phenomenon, guided by dynamic tissue flows. We have established a new ex vivo EM cell migration system that allows for live imaging, computational analyses and optogenetic manipulation. We find that local ectodermal tissue flows repolarize EM cell protrusions and bias their directional migration. Disrupting these flows, both ex vivo and in vivo, either genetically or mechanically, impairs EM cell dispersion. Our findings reveal that mechanical cues generated by surrounding tissue flows coordinate immune-cell migration during development, highlighting an overlooked mechanism by which collective tissue dynamics guide individual cell behaviour.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42706384 · DOI · PMC13661273
The effect of increases in physical activity on oral health and function in older adults in Singapore: A longitudinal causal inference study [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundPhysical activity may benefit oral health, but causal evidence is lacking.
- Closing excerpt
- ConclusionsThese findings support integrating physical activity promotion within oral health strategies for ageing populations.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (244 words)
BackgroundPhysical activity may benefit oral health, but causal evidence is lacking. This study estimated the effect of modifying physical activity on self-rated oral health and masticatory function impairment in older adults using longitudinal modified treatment policies.MethodsData from three waves (2016-2024) of THE SIGNS Study, a nationally representative cohort of community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and above in Singapore (N = 3981), were analysed. Ten physical activity scenarios were emulated, including upward, downward, and stochastic shifts in weekly metabolic equivalent (MET) minutes (WHO guideline: ≥600MET-min/week). Causal parameters were estimated using targeted maximum likelihood estimation with Super Learner.ResultsFor poor self-rated oral health, raising all participants to at least 450 MET-min/week (equivalent to 112.5 min per week of moderate-intensity physical activity) produced the largest risk reduction (RR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.82-0.95). Even raising participants below 150 MET-min/week toward 150 MET-min/week reduced risk by 7% (RR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88-0.99). For masticatory function impairment, reducing physical activity increased risk in a dose-response manner: eliminating all activity increased risk by 21% (RR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.10-1.33), while raising 50% of inactive participants toward 600 MET-min/week reduced risk by 6% (RR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90-0.99). A stricter masticatory function impairment definition produced consistent but stronger effects. Estimates were robust across estimators and under extreme attrition assumptions. Increasing physical activity may reduce the risk of poor self-rated oral health, while reducing physical activity may increase masticatory function impairment.ConclusionsThese findings support integrating physical activity promotion within oral health strategies for ageing populations.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42664809 · DOI · PMC13545370
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Deaths potentially averted by small changes in physical activity and sedentary time: an individual participant data meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies [4]
- Research article Effect of exercise on depression and anxiety symptoms: systematic umbrella review with meta-meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Circulating Myokine Responses to Acute Endurance Exercise and Their Role in Immunoregulation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [6]
- Research article Can wearable real-time biofeedback gait training devices improve gait speed, balance, functional mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) in individuals post-stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [7]
- Research article The Optimal Dosage of Isometric Handgrip Exercise for Blood Pressure Reduction: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [8]
- Research article Physical Activity Improves Quality of Life in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis [9]
References
- He L, Borjon LJ, Tracey WD. The motor pattern of rolling escape locomotion in Drosophila larvae. . 2026. PMID 42677474 · DOI · PMC13615696
- Le HA, Hartmann J, Alert R, Mayor R. Tissue flow acts as a guidance cue for immune cell polarization and directional migration. . 2026. PMID 42706384 · DOI · PMC13661273
- Tay JRH, Nascimento GG, Malhotra R, Hallal PC, Peres MA. The effect of increases in physical activity on oral health and function in older adults in Singapore: A longitudinal causal inference study. . 2026. PMID 42664809 · DOI · PMC13545370
- Ekelund U, Tarp J, Ding D, Sanchez-Lastra MA, Dalene KE, Anderssen SA, et al.. Deaths potentially averted by small changes in physical activity and sedentary time: an individual participant data meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Lancet. 2026. PMID 41544645 · DOI
- Munro NR, Teague S, Somoray K, Simpson A, Budden T, Jackson B, et al.. Effect of exercise on depression and anxiety symptoms: systematic umbrella review with meta-meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med. 2026. PMID 41667154 · DOI
- Ringleb M, Fabritius F, Godde J, Puta C, Bloch W, Javelle F. Circulating Myokine Responses to Acute Endurance Exercise and Their Role in Immunoregulation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. FASEB J. 2026. PMID 41661185 · DOI · PMC12885107
- Wang FY, Xu Y, Luo LY, Liang HB, Jiang YP, Bai ZQ, et al.. Can wearable real-time biofeedback gait training devices improve gait speed, balance, functional mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) in individuals post-stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2025. PMID 41457231 · DOI · PMC12853913
- Lin CW, Jun IB, Igbo V, Babaniamansour A, Meng L, Lin CF, et al.. The Optimal Dosage of Isometric Handgrip Exercise for Blood Pressure Reduction: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2026. PMID 41922197 · DOI · PMC13045435
- Kasznár E, Csendes B, Gergő D, Hegyi P, Tóth R, Fogarasi A, et al.. Physical Activity Improves Quality of Life in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2026. PMID 41621812 · DOI · PMC12861554
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.