Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34351051›Full record

ArticleAutism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research2021

Muscle strength and executive function in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Sebastian Ludyga, Uwe Pühse, Markus Gerber, Manuel Mücke

Open access · hybridAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
26citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
2.8field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

26 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.

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  5. Physical Fitness Profiles Among Children and Adolescents With ADHD and ASD: A Comparison With Typically Developing Peers.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Sebastian LudygaDepartment of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0002-3905-7894
Uwe PühseDepartment of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Markus GerberDepartment of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0001-6140-8948
Manuel MückeDepartment of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
University of Basel · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The development of effective (non-pharmacological) treatment approaches for executive dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) requires evidence that factors influencing this domain can be modified by behavioral interventions. The present cross-sectional study investigated the relative associations of ASD, muscle strength and body mass index with executive function and information processing among the Healthy Brain Network cohort. Patients with ASD (N = 174) and healthy peers (N = 202) aged 5 to 18 years completed cognitive tasks of the NIH toolbox (Pattern Comparison, Flanker, List Sorting, Card Sorting) to assess core components of executive function and information processing. Additionally, anthropometrics and muscle strength were collected from selected items (push-ups, curl-ups, trunk lift, and grip strength) of the Fitnessgram battery. Based on structural equation modeling, ASD was related to impaired muscle strength and executive function, when confounders (age, sex, pubertal status, and socioeconomic status) were accounted for. Muscle strength further showed independent contributions to information processing and executive function. This association was moderated by ASD, so that higher muscle strength was related to higher executive function in ASD patients only. The present findings provide a first indication that the promotion of muscle strength may have the potential to generally enhance information processing and to reduce ASD-related executive dysfunction in children and adolescents. LAY SUMMARY: In comparison to healthy peers, children with ASD showed impairments in executive function and muscle strength. Moreover, higher muscle strength was independently associated with better executive function, but only in ASD patients. This is a first indication that the promotion of muscle strength, for example, by regular exercise, could contribute to a reduction of ASD-related executive dysfunction.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderExecutive FunctionAdolescentChildCognitionCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMuscle Strengthcognitive performancedevelopmentinformation processingmental disorderphysical fitness

Identifiers

PMID34351051
PMCPMC9292567
OpenAlexW3188191954

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.