Effects of combination exercises on electroencephalography and frontal lobe executive function measures in children with ADHD: A pilot study

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of exercise on neuropsychological variables of executive function and physiological variables with electroencephalography in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The participants included 12 boys in grades 1-4 who were randomly assigned to the combined exercise group (n=6) or control group (n=6). A 60 m exercise program (10-m warm-up, 40 m main exercise, and 10 m cool down) was performed three times a week for a total of 12 weeks. For the electroencephalography, a learning curve was utilized, and the electrodes were firmly attached to the children’s scalps. Golden’s paediatric stroop color and word test was used to measure executive function in the frontal lobe. After 12 weeks, the F3 and F4 TASK results and colorword scores were significantly increased in the exercise group compared with the control group. The 12 week combination exercise program (jump rope and ball exercises) had positive effects on the electroencephalography and frontal lobe executive function measures of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.