Acute Physical Activity Enhances Executive Functions in Children with ADHD

Exercise has been shown to benefit our physical and mental health. Some studies have suggested that it can also potentially help with ADHD.

This study wanted to further examine the effects of exercise on executive function.

Executive function refers to the higher-level thought processes in our brains. These include planning, working memory, and inhibition.

Studies have shown that ADHD negatively affects working memory:

This study examined the effects of an exercise program on executive function tests in children.

The study randomly assigned some children to receive an exercise program and compared them to children who did not receive an exercise program.

After the program, they were tested on their inhibition, task switching, and visual working memory.

The results showed that children who received the exercise program had much better reaction times on tests of executive function. They were faster at inhibiting themselves when needed and switching tasks.

However, there were no improvements seen in task accuracy or visual working memory.

Essentially, the children who received the exercise program were faster at completing tasks but were not significantly more or less accurate than those who did not receive the exercise program.

Based on these results, the authors concluded that exercise may improve certain aspects of executive function in children with ADHD. Unlike medication, exercise is universally healthy and beneficial. It can also be added to any therapy regimen.

These results are consistent with other studies that have shown the benefits of exercise for those with ADHD. While this study did not find a difference in visual working memory, another study was able to detect improvements in working memory with exercise: