Acute effects of physical activity on cognitive function in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sibbick, E., Boat, R. ORCID: 0000-0002-4897-8118, Sarkar, M. ORCID: 0000-0002-8338-8500, Groom, M. and Cooper, S.B. ORCID: 0000-0001-5219-5020, 2022. Acute effects of physical activity on cognitive function in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 23: 100469. ISSN 1755-2966

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Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children and adolescents, is typically managed with medications which are associated with negative side effects. Therefore, non-pharmacological treatments, such as physical activity, are an attractive option. The aim of this meta-analysis was to explore the effects of acute physical activity on cognition in children and adolescents with ADHD. A comprehensive search of three literature databases yielded 14 studies for inclusion. An overall meta-analysis was conducted alongside sub-group analyses for cognitive domain, physical activity characteristics, and timing of cognitive measurements. Results revealed a small beneficial effect of physical activity on cognitive function (SMD = 0.18, [0.12,0.25], p < 0.01). Sub-group analyses revealed beneficial effects of physical activity on the domains of cognitive flexibility (SMD = 0.21, [0.09,0.32], p < 0.01), attention (SMD = 0.20, [0.09,0.32], p = 0.001), and inhibitory control (SMD = 0.18, [0.03,0.33], p = 0.02), but not memory (p = 0.87). Cognitive benefits also differed depending on physical activity duration (<10 min, p = 0.27; 11–20 min, SMD = 0.23, [0.14,0.31], p < 0.01; >20 min, SMD = 0.13, [-0.00,0.26], p = 0.05), and modality (running, SMD = 0.21, [0.12,0.29], p < 0.01; ‘other’, SMD = 0.39, [0.18,0.61], p < 0.01; cycling, p = 0.35), and the timing of cognitive measurement following physical activity (immediately, SMD = 0.17, [-0.01,0.35], p = 0.06; 2–10 min, SMD = 0.21, [0.12,0.30], p < 0.01; >10 min, SMD = 0.19, [-0.09,0.47], p = 0.19). Overall, physical activity has a positive acute effect on subsequent cognition in children and adolescents with ADHD, though effects may be domain specific and influenced by the duration and modality of physical activity. These findings have practical implications for those interested in using physical activity to enhance cognition in children and adolescents with ADHD.

Item Type: Journal article
Publication Title: Mental Health and Physical Activity
Creators: Sibbick, E., Boat, R., Sarkar, M., Groom, M. and Cooper, S.B.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: October 2022
Volume: 23
ISSN: 1755-2966
Identifiers:
NumberType
10.1016/j.mhpa.2022.100469DOI
1591060Other
Rights: © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Divisions: Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by: Laura Ward
Date Added: 15 Aug 2022 15:35
Last Modified: 15 Aug 2022 15:35
URI: https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/46879

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