Chung Ju Huang

Effects of an Aquatic Exercise Program on Inhibitory Control in Children with ADHD: A Preliminary Study

The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine whether an aquatic exercise intervention that involves both aerobic and coordinative exercises influences restraint inhibition in children with ADHD. Thirty participants were assigned to either an aquatic exercise or a wait-list control group. Participants were assessed by Go/Nogo Task and motor ability prior to and after an 8-week exercise intervention (twice per week, 90 min per session) or a control intervention. Significant improvements in accuracy associated with the Nogo stimulus and the coordination of motor skills were observed over time in the exercise group compared with the control group. Only main effects of group were found for reaction time and accuracy associated with the Go stimulus. These findings suggest that an exercise program that involves both quantitative and qualitative exercise characteristics facilitates the restraint inhibition component of behavioral inhibition in children with ADHD.

Exercise mode and executive function in older adults: An ERP study of task-switching

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between exercise mode and executive function and its effect on behavior and neuroelectric activity. Forty-eight older adults were classified into open-skill, closed-skill, and irregular exercise groups based on their experience of exercise participation. Executive function was measured via a task-switching paradigm, in which the behavioral indices and event-related potentials elicited by task-switching were assessed. The results revealed that the exercise groups, regardless of the exercise mode, exhibited faster reaction times in both global and local switches than the irregular exercise group, regardless of the within-task conditions. Similarly, larger P3 amplitudes were observed in both exercise groups compared to the irregular exercise group. Moreover, additional facilitation effects of open-skill exercises on global switch costs were observed, whereas no differences in local switch costs were found among the three groups. The results replicate previous studies that have reported generally improved executive function after participation in exercises; additionally, they extend the current knowledge by indicating that these cognitive improvements in specific aspects of executive function could also be obtained from open-skill exercises.

The differences in frontal midline theta power between successful and unsuccessful basketball free throws of elite basketball players.

During the preparatory period of motor skill, attention is considered as one of the most vital factors for athletic performance. Electroencephalographic (EEG) indices, such as occipital α, have been employed to explore the psychological state during the preparatory period in elite athletes. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in frontal midline theta (Fm θ) power during the aiming period between successful and unsuccessful basketball free throws. Fifteen skilled male basketball players were recruited and asked to perform free throws. Electroencephalogram (EEG) data were collected 2seconds prior to the initiation of the free throw and segmented into four 0.5-s epochs. The lower theta (θ1, 4-6Hz) and upper theta (θ2, 6-8Hz) power values was contrasted between the successful and unsuccessful throws. Two 2×4×6 (performance×time×electrode) ANOVAs with repeated measures were conducted separately for θ1 and θ2 power. The results indicate that θ1 power at the Fz site and θ2 power at the Fz and the F4 sites fluctuated significantly during the preparatory period for an unsuccessful throw when compared with a successful throw. Additionally, a higher Fm θ2 power was observed at the beginning of the aiming period of a successful throw. This study suggests that a stable arousal and a relatively constant amount of attention to the task prior to motor execution may facilitate athletic performance.

Expert-Novice Differences in SMR Activity during Dart Throwing

Previous evidence suggests that augmented sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) activity is related to the superior regulation of processing cognitive-motor information in motor performance. However, no published studies have examined the relationship between SMR and performance in precision sports; thus, this study examined the relationship between SMR activity and the level of skilled performance in tasks requiring high levels of attention (e.g., dart throwing). We hypothesized that skilled performance would be associated with higher SMR activity. Fourteen dart-throwing experts and eleven novices were recruited. Participants were requested to perform 60 dart throws while EEG was recorded. The 2(Group: Expert, Novice)×2(Time window: -2000 ms to -1000 ms, -1000 ms to 0 ms) ANOVA showed that the dart-throwing experts maintained a relatively higher SMR power than the novices before dart release. These results suggest that SMR might reflect the adaptive regulation of cognitive-motor processing during the preparatory period.

A Preliminary Examination of Aerobic Exercise Effects on Resting EEG in Children With ADHD

Objective: This study attempted to determine whether the effects of physical exercise were reflected in the resting electroencephalographic (EEG) pattern of ADHD children. Method: Thirty-two ADHD children were assigned to either an exercise group or a control group. The exercise group participated in a water aerobics program for 8 weeks, whereas no intervention was administered to the control group. Resting EEGs were recorded under open-eyes condition before and after the intervention. Data from eligible participants, 15 from the exercise group (11 boys and 4 girls, 7.93 ± 1.02 years) and 14 from the control group (14 boys, 8.27 ± 1.04 years), were further analyzed. Results: While controlling for the baseline resting EEG, separate ANCOVAs indicated that the exercise group showed smaller theta/alpha ratios over the frontal and central brain sites after the intervention compared with the control group. Conclusion: This finding suggests that aerobic exercise may enhance the cognitive functions of children with ADHD, as reflected in resting EEG.

Neuroelectric and Behavioral Effects of Acute Exercise on Task Switching in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The main purpose of this two-part study was to examine the effects of acute, moderate intensity exercise on task switching in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In Study 1, we compared the task switching performance of children with and without ADHD. Twenty children with ADHD and 20 matched controls performed the task switching paradigm, in which the behavioral indices and P3 component of event-related potentials elicited by task-switching were assessed simultaneously. The amplitude and latency of P3 reflected the amount of attention resource allocated to task-relevant stimulus in the environment and the efficiency of stimulus detection and evaluation, respectively. The task switching included two conditions; the pure condition required participants to perform the task on the same rule (e.g., AAAA or BBBB) whereas the mixed condition required participants to perform the task on two alternating rules (e.g., AABBAA…). The results indicated that children with ADHD had significantly longer RTs, less accuracy, and larger global switch cost for accuracy than controls. Additionally, ADHD participants showed smaller amplitudes and longer P3 latencies in global switch effects. In Study 2, we further examined the effects of an acute aerobic exercise session on task switching in children with ADHD. Thirty-four children with ADHD performed a task switching paradigm after 30 min of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on a treadmill and after control sessions (watching videos while seated). The results revealed that following exercise, children with ADHD exhibited smaller global switch costs in RT compared with after control sessions. The P3 amplitude only increased following exercise in the mixed condition relative to the pure condition, whereas no effects were found in the control session. These findings suggest that single bouts of moderate intensity aerobic exercise may have positive effects on the working memory of children with ADHD.

Sensorimotor Rhythm Neurofeedback Enhances Golf Putting Performance

Sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) activity has been related to automaticity during skilled action execution. However, few studies have bridged the causal link between SMR activity and sports performance. This study investigated the effect of SMR neurofeedback training (SMR NFT) on golf putting performance. We hypothesized that preelite golfers would exhibit enhanced putting performance after SMR NFT. Sixteen preelite golfers were recruited and randomly assigned into either an SMR or a control group. Participants were asked to perform putting while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded, both before and after intervention. Our results showed that the SMR group performed more accurately when putting and exhibited greater SMR power than the control group after 8 intervention sessions. This study concludes that SMR NFT is effective for increasing SMR during action preparation and for enhancing golf putting performance. Moreover, greater SMR activity might be an EEG signature of improved attention processing, which induces superior putting performance.

Higher power of sensorimotor rhythm is associated with better performance in skilled air-pistol shooters

Objectives: Psychomotor efficiency has been linked with processing efficiency during sport performance. Reduced cortical activity in the sensorimotor area has been related to less variability in the movement preparation that is conducive to skilled motor performance. This study proposes sensorimotor rhythm (SMR), 12–15 Hz of the electroencephalography (EEG) in the sensorimotor area, may be used to investigate psychomotor efficiency in sports performance. Method: Twenty‐four skilled air pistol shooters were recruited to fire 40 shots while EEG and shooting accuracy were recorded. Results: The data show that improved performance of skilled shooters is associated with higher SMR power during the last second and lower coherence on high alpha power at Fz‐T3 before action initiation. A negative relationship is also exhibited between the SMR power and the shooting performance during the aiming. Conclusions: This finding suggests that reduced interference from sensorimotor processing, as reflected by elevated SMR power, may be related to improved processing efficiency during the aiming period. We conclude that SMR may be used to understand psychomotor efficiency underlying air‐pistol shooting performance. HIGHLIGHTSThe best shots were preceded by higher SMR power than those of the worst shots.SMR power was inversely correlated with distance from the bulls eye.The best shots were associated with lower Fz‐T3 high‐alpha coherence than the worst performance.

Neurofeedback Training Reduces Frontal Midline Theta and Improves Putting Performance in Expert Golfers

A single-subject design was used to examine the influence of one session of neurofeedback training (NFT) on reducing frontal midline theta (Fmθ) amplitude and enhancing golf putting performance. Posttraining, three highly skilled golfers improved in putting score or score stability. Although the Fmθ amplitude during the pre-putt period inconsistently decreased across participants, all golfers exhibited lower Fmθ amplitude during the resting condition following NFT, suggesting that the tonic reduction of Fmθ may play a role in subsequent performance improvement. Overall, these results indicate that a short session of NFT may be an effective method of performance enhancement in some sports.

The relationship between physical fitness and inhibitory ability in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: An event-related potential study

Objectives The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between physical fitness and interference control by comparing higher and lower fitness children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) using event‐related potentials (ERPs) and behavioral indices. Design Cross‐sectional design was employed. Method Eighty children, previously diagnosed with ADHD, were evaluated on their inhibitory ability as measured during their participation in the flanker task, and this ability was examined in relationship to measures of their physical fitness. Only children in the top 40% or in the bottom 40% of the distribution for each fitness components were included in the statistical analysis. Results The results showed that children with higher levels of muscular endurance, muscular power, and aerobic capacity had shorter reaction times (RT) and larger P3 amplitudes compared to less fit children. In addition, children with lower body composition had shorter reaction times and shorter P3 latencies compared to those with higher body composition. Conclusions Better physical fitness, especially muscular endurance, muscular power, aerobic capacity, and body composition, were associated with enhanced interference control in children with ADHD. Our findings suggest the need for a closer examination of the possible impact of different aspects of fitness on the general relationship between physical fitness and cognition. HighlightsBetter interference control in children with ADHD was found for those who had higher muscular fitness.Better interference control in children with ADHD was found for those who had higher aerobic fitness.Better interference control in children with ADHD was found for those who had lower body composition.