Acute aerobic exercise at different intensities modulates inhibitory control and cortical excitability in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Yu-Han Wang; Shur-Fen Gau; Li-Kuang Yang; Jung-Chi Chang; Pou-Leng Cheong; Hsiao-I Kuo

doi:10.1016/j.ajp.2024.103993

Acute aerobic exercise at different intensities modulates inhibitory control and cortical excitability in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Asian J Psychiatr. 2024 Mar 7:95:103993. doi: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.103993. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yu-Han Wang¹, Shur-Fen Gau², Li-Kuang Yang², Jung-Chi Chang², Pou-Leng Cheong³, Hsiao-I Kuo⁴

Affiliations

¹ School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei 10055, Taiwan.
² Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital, No 7, Zhongshan S Road, Taipei 10055, Taiwan.
³ Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital Hsin-Chu Hospital, No. 25, Lane 442, Section 1, Hsinchu, Taiwan; Department of Biological Science and Technology, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, 75 Po-Ai Street, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan.
⁴ School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University, No. 17, Xu-Zhou Road, Taipei 10055, Taiwan. Electronic address: hikuo@ntu.edu.tw.

PMID: 38485649
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2024.103993

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of different aerobic exercise intensities on inhibitory control and cortical excitability in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods: The study was conducted in a within-subject design. Twenty-four adults with ADHD completed a stop signal task and received cortical excitability assessment by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) before and after a single session of low-, moderate-, high-intensity aerobic exercise or a control intervention.

Results: Acute moderate-, and high-intensity aerobic exercise improved inhibitory control in adults with ADHD. Moreover, the improving effect was similar between moderate-, and high-intensity aerobic exercise conditions. As shown by the brain physiology results, short interval intracortical inhibition was significantly increased following both, moderate- and high-intensity aerobic exercise intervention conditions. Additionally, the alteration of short interval intracortical inhibition and inhibitory control improvement were positively correlated.

Conclusions: The moderate-, and high-intensity aerobic exercise-dependent alterations of cortical excitability in adults with ADHD might partially explain the inhibitory control-improving effects of aerobic exercise in this population.

Keywords: ADHD; Aerobic exercise; Cortical excitability; Inhibitory control; TMS.