ReviewBiomedical journal2022
Effects of physical exercise on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Review in Biomedical journal, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 119 citations in OpenAlex.
- Beyond binary comparisons: a Bayesian dose-response meta-analysis of exercise on executive function in children and adolescents with ADHD.Pediatric research · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of different physical activity modalities on executive function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- Exercise modalities in mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of comparative effectiveness.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of exercise on anxiety and psychiatric comorbidities in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Pooled it
- A network meta-analysis of the effects of different rehabilitation intervention strategies on executive function in children and adolescents.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of virtual reality-based exercise intervention in young people with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of vigorous-intensity exercise on the working memory and inhibitory control among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Italian journal of pediatrics · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of physical activity on inhibitory control of adult ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of global health · 2025Pooled it
- Optimal exercise intensity for improving executive function in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: systematic review and network meta-analysis.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Exercise prescription to improve inhibitory control in children and adolescents with ADHD: a network meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of exercise on cognitive function in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- Effect of physical activity on attention in school-age children with ADHD: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Pooled it
- Comparative effectiveness of various physical exercise interventions on executive functions and related symptoms in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of progressive aerobic training on neural synchrony and functional connectivity in internet gaming disorder: a randomized controlled fMRI study.BMC psychiatry · 2025Trial
- Comparative effects of moderate-intensity continuous training and high-intensity interval training on ADHD symptoms and behavioral inhibition in children.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Trial
- A Digital Cognitive-Physical Intervention for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Trial
- Effects of a School-Based Physical Activity Intervention for Obesity, Health-Related Physical Fitness, and Blood Pressure in Children with Intellectual Disability: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Trial
- Exercise as a Neurobiological Intervention: Utilizing NAc Circuitry to Combat Addiction.Addiction neuroscience · 2026Article
- Effects of Physical Activity Interventions on Cognitive Flexibility in Children with ADHD: A Systematic Review.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Effects of Aquatic Exercise on Balance, Motor Function and Neuromuscular Performance in Children and Young Adults with Disabilities: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly neurodevelopmental disorders with a complex symptomatology in children, and frequently suffer from deficits in executive functions and motor abilities. Although medication-based treatments usually have a positive effect, possible side effects may result in a need for an adjunctive intervention. Present studies show positive effect of physical exercise on cognitive function. Therefore, the purpose of the current study is thoroughly examine the effects of physical exercise in children with ADHD. Preliminary evidence shows both acute and chronic physical exercise are beneficial to ADHD symptoms, executive function, and motor abilities. Benefits of acute exercise may gradually accumulate over time. Such benefits reflect the positive correlation between cognition and physical activity, and these benefits will also lead to changes in executive function after long-term training. Aerobic could induce to increase the neurotransmitter ie. serotonin, dopamine, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and brain blood flow. Perceptual motor and meditation could lead to neuroplasticity in nerve cells and synaptic connections; furthermore, strengthening the sensory-motor base contributes to the improvement of attention. An exercise program for children with ADHD include to moderate to high intensity interval training and cognitive tasks are suitable. The preliminary state of the evidence supports physical exercise as an adjunctive treatment for ADHD at this time.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.