A 13-week randomized exercise trial in overweight children showed a dose-response benefit on executive planning and math achievement, with no effects on other CAS scales or reading¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r1 · q2–q3
Currency · newest study 2012 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? A significant dose-response benefit of exercise (20 or 40 min/day) emerged for CAS Planning and math scores, with no effects on other CAS scales or reading scores. → Berwid Olga G. 2012 q3 i? A fMRI pilot subsample showed exercisers had increased bilateral prefrontal activity and reduced bilateral posterior parietal activity on an anti-saccade task relative to controls. → Berwid Olga G. 2012 (2)

Evidence¶

Berwid Olga G. 2012¶

Berwid Olga G., Halperin Jeffrey M. (2012). Emerging Support for a Role of Exercise in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Intervention Planning. Current Psychiatry Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-012-0297-4

q3 · i? · review · r2

Randomized controlled trial by Davis et al. of a 13-week exercise program (20 or 40 min/day) versus control in 171 sedentary, overweight 7- to 11-year-old children, assessing cognition with the CAS and achievement with the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement III.

"A significant dose-response benefit of exercise on executive functioning (i.e., Planning from the CAS) and math scores emerged. No effects were detected on other scales of the CAS or on reading scores."

Berwid Olga G. 2012 (2)¶

Berwid Olga G., Halperin Jeffrey M. (2012). Emerging Support for a Role of Exercise in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Intervention Planning. Current Psychiatry Reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-012-0297-4

q2 · i? · causal · r1

fMRI pilot study within the Davis et al. trial with 20 children scanned at baseline (control n = 9, exercise n = 11) and post-test (control n = 9, exercise n = 10) while completing an anti-saccade task.

"Those participating in the exercise program showed evidence of increased bilateral prefrontal activity and reduced bilateral posterior parietal activity compared with controls."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Aerobic exercise improves executive functioning, most notably inhibitory control, in typically developing children, though evidence is tentative and one week-long study found no main effect — a broader claim this one bears on
• Chronic cardio exercise programs improve executive functions, attention, and behavior in children with ADHD — related
• Sustained aerobic exercise improves children's EFs, with dose-response benefits for the most EF-demanding task and math in the high-dose group only — possibly the same claim (merge candidate)