Acute Physical Activity Enhances Executive Functions in Children with ADHD

Valentin Benzing, Yu-Kai Chang, Mirko Schmidt
2018 Scientific Reports  
Acute physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity has been shown to improve cognitive functions in children. However, the empirical evidence associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children is still limited, in particular regarding which specific cognitive functions benefit. This study investigated the effects of an acute bout of physical activity on multiple aspects of executive functions (inhibition, switching, and visual working memory) in children with
more » ... . Forty-six children (8-12 years old; 82.6% boys) were randomly assigned to either 15 minutes of acute exergaming (physical activity of moderate intensity) or to a control condition (sedentary). Executive function performance in inhibition, switching and visual working memory were assessed before and after each condition, using a modified version of both the Flanker and the Color Span Backwards Task. The results revealed that participants in the exergaming group performed significantly faster than those in the control group in terms of both inhibition and switching, but there was no significant difference in the accuracy of the two tasks nor in visual working memory performance. These findings suggest that acute physical activity utilizing exergaming has the potential to improve specific aspects of executive functions (reaction times in inhibition and switching) in children with ADHD. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is recognized as a highly prevalent disorder (3-7%) in childhood and adolescence 1,2 . The male-to-female ratio in community-based samples is approximately 3:1 1 , whereas it ranges between 5:1 and 9:1 in clinical samples 3 . The primary symptoms of ADHD are inattention, disorganisation, and hyperactivity-impulsivity 4 . These symptoms are frequently observed at pre-school age and often persist into adulthood 5 . Children with ADHD display an increased risk of suffering from social, long-term academic, and work-related impairments 6 , creating a large social burden 7 . ADHD is linked to lower Executive Function (EF) performance and motor deficits 8-10 . EFs are defined as the higher-order cognitive functions that modulate fundamental cognitive processes and are therefore required for goal-oriented, adaptive and flexible behavior 11,12 . EFs are thought to be comprised of three core processes 13 : (1) inhibition, which includes inhibiting predominant responses and controlling attention; (2) switching, which includes switching between tasks or mental sets; and (3) working memory, which includes retaining and processing information. Deficiency of the aforementioned EFs is seen as one prevailing explanation for the development of ADHD 10 , with previous studies suggesting that pronounced ADHD symptomatology is associated with poor EF performance 14-17 . A predominant model for the underlying mechanisms of ADHD describes dysfunction of the prefrontal-striatal circuitry 18 , where abnormal prefrontal-striatal-related cortices, such as the prefrontal cortex or basal ganglia, could underpin EF impairment in ADHD 18, 19 . For example, children with ADHD display pronounced hypoactivation during cognitive task performance. This hypoactivation has been detected in systems involved in the frontoparietal and the ventral attentional network, both of which are supposed to be linked to EFs and attention 20,21 . Another proposed mechanism is associated with disrupted catecholamine neurotransmission, meaning that individuals with ADHD have decreased levels of dopamine and norepinephrine in brain networks that are connected to EFs and attention, resulting in decreased cognitive performance 22 . Although the empirical evidence in children is limited, it seems that single bouts of exercise (also known as acute exercise or acute physical activity) have a positive impact on neurotransmission and brain functioning 23,24 . Research exists showing that acute exercise seems to trigger catecholamine neurotransmission 24, 25 , which in turn
doi:10.1038/s41598-018-30067-8 pmid:30120283 pmcid:PMC6098027 fatcat:qjpauaoiijbkbja5dbs5gyrmnu