Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Neurodidactic Spaced Learning Strategies in Long-Term Memory

In the current higher education landscape, students frequently resort to “cramming” or massed study practices, which often lead to superficial learning and rapid information decay rather than long-term memory (LTM) consolidation. This systematic review aims to analyze the evidence on the effectiveness of neurodidactic strategies based on spaced learning for LTM consolidation in university contexts. Following the PRISMA statement and the PICOS model, a comprehensive search was conducted in Scopus and Web of Science, identifying 19 empirical studies that met the eligibility criteria. The corpus was then subjected to a risk of bias assessment using RoB-2, ROBINS-I, and MMAT. The results indicate that neurodidactic strategies—categorized into operative, methodological, and socio-emotional types—are associated with improved knowledge retention in several contexts when learning episodes are distributed over time. Some studies report positive trends in retention compared to massed practice, particularly in health sciences and language learning, but the heterogeneity of methodologies and outcome measures limits definitive conclusions. Therefore, while the integration of spaced learning within a neurodidactic framework appears promising, the evidence should be interpreted as suggestive rather than conclusive, and further research is needed to confirm these observations across diverse settings. This systematic review has been registered in the Open Science Framework (OSF).