Effects of Baduanjin on response inhibition in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Zeping Zhang; Yu Zhang; Jintao Li; Xiaolong Chang; Minjie Liang; Kun Liu; Kun Sun; Yunlei Xu; Suyong Yang

doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105277

Effects of Baduanjin on response inhibition in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A randomized controlled trial

Res Dev Disabil. 2026 May:172:105277. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105277. Epub 2026 Apr 4.

Authors

Zeping Zhang¹, Yu Zhang², Jintao Li³, Xiaolong Chang⁴, Minjie Liang⁵, Kun Liu⁶, Kun Sun⁷, Yunlei Xu⁷, Suyong Yang⁸

Affiliations

¹ School of Police Law Enforcement Abilities Training, People's Public Security University of China, Beijing 100038, China.
² Sport Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China.
³ Department of Physical Education, Shanghai Jian Qiao University, Shanghai 201306, China.
⁴ School of Culture and Tourism, Quzhou College of Technology, Quzhou, Zhejiang 324002, China.
⁵ Tsinghua University High School-Jiaxing, Jiaxing, Zhejiang 314000, China.
⁶ Sports Department, Ma'anshan university, Ma'anshan, Anhui 243000, China.
⁷ School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China.
⁸ School of Psychology, Shanghai University of Sport, Shanghai 200438, China. Electronic address: ysy77@163.com.

PMID: 41936141
DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2026.105277

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effects of a 12-week Baduanjin intervention on response inhibition and electrophysiological activity in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), 90 children with ADHD were randomly assigned to a Baduanjin, regular physical activity, or waitlist control group for 12 weeks. Behavioral performance and event-related potentials (ERP) during a Go/No-Go task were measured pre- and post-intervention. Parents completed the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham IV scale (SNAP-IV) at both time points.

Results: After 12 weeks, SNAP-IV scores decreased in the Baduanjin and regular physical activity groups, with no significant change in the control group. In the Go/No-Go task, the Baduanjin group showed a reduction in No-Go error rates, the regular physical activity group showed no change, and the control group showed a trend toward increased errors. Neurophysiologically, only the N2/P3 components showed larger amplitudes in the No-Go condition compared to Go, with no other significant differences observed.

Conclusion: Preliminary evidence suggests that Baduanjin has the potential to improve response inhibition in children with ADHD; however, evidence for improvements at the neural level requires further investigation.

Keywords: Baduanjin; Children with ADHD; EEG; Event-related potentials; Response inhibition.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / physiopathology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / psychology
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / rehabilitation
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity* / therapy
Child
Electroencephalography
Evoked Potentials / physiology
Female
Humans
Inhibition, Psychological*
Male
Qigong* / methods
Treatment Outcome