Effects of acute exercise on executive function in children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders

Abstract

An increasing number of studies have examined the effects of acute aerobic exercise on executive function (i.e., higher-order cognitive abilities involved in goal-directed behaviors) in healthy children. More recently, studies have begun to extend these empirical findings to children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here, we review what is known about the effects of acute exercise on executive function in children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. Overall, moderate acute aerobic exercise can transiently improve executive function in children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders. Further, these effects of acute exercise may differ depending on type of exercise, participant characteristics (e.g., fitness levels, executive function capacity, type of neurodevelopmental disorder), and timing of cognitive task administration (i.e., after versus during exercise). Despite the increasing number of findings, it is still premature to suggest effective exercise types and/or intensity levels to produce improvements in executive function in children. Further studies are needed to address this issue. Finally, future research directions are discussed in more detail.

Effects of Acute Aerobic Exercise on Executive Function in Children With and Without Learning Disability: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…With sufficient statistical power, this study supported that acute exercise might demonstrate greater effects on the sustained attention and discrimination ability in children with LD than TD children. The results are consistent with the previous literature regarding the effects of physical exercise on the attentionrelated symptoms of children with different disabilities (Piepmeier et al, 2015;Soga et al, 2016;Vogt, Schneider, Abeln, Anneken, & Strüder, 2012). Given that children with LD are likely to be associated with cognitive dysfunction, they may gain greater cognitive benefits from the acute exercise than TD children because the effects induced by the exercise would distinctly compensate for the deficit in EF (Cook et al, 2015;Heller et al, 2014).…”

“…In particular, the effects of a single bout of exercise have raised researchers' attention. A meta-analytic review has indicated that engaging in acute exercise could help children with neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., intellectual and developmental disorders) enhance their EF performance, including areas such as inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (Soga, Kamijo, & Masaki, 2016). For TD children, previous studies have revealed that acute exercise shows beneficial effects on vitality, reduced impulsivity, behavioral inhibition, cognitive development, and EF (Chang, Labban, Gapin, & Etnier, 2012;Palmer, Miller, & Robinson, 2013;Piepmeier et al, 2015).…”

“…Hillman, Kamijo, and Pontifex (2012) also reported that single acute bouts of moderate-intensity exercise could be beneficial to neuroelectric indices reflecting the allocation of attentional resources in the service of stimulus discrimination. Furthermore, while the prefrontal cortices linked to the EF of children with LD may be abnormal in some respects (Kawashima et al, 2005), a single bout of exercise may activate the prefrontal brain regions related to better EF performance in some special populations of children (Best, 2010;Chang et al, 2012;Soga et al, 2016;Tomporowski, Davis, Lambourne, Gregoski, & Tkacz, 2008). Even though the existing literature has illustrated a positive relationship between acute exercise and cognition in TD children, the effects of acute exercise on the sustained attention and discriminatory ability of children with LD have not been examined yet.…”

Determining Whether Tennis Benefits the Updating Function in Young Children: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

“…Mcmorris et al [42] reported that acute, intermediate-intensity exercises have a strong beneficial effect on the speed of response in the WM tasks in adults. Moreover, the result is similar to those of studies investigating the effect of acute exercises on the executive function in normal children [43].…”

Do Elite and Amateur Soccer Players Outperform Non-Athletes on Neurocognitive Functioning? A Study Among 8-12 Year Old Children

“…Other possible moderating factors such as improved motor skills[46] (needed in many neurocognitive tasks) or motivational aspects, may play a role as well in the relationship between sports participation and neurocognitive functioning.…”