title: Physical Activity, Affect, and Cognition in Children With Symptoms of ADHD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the role of physical activity in determining the affect and executive functioning of children with symptoms of ADHD.
  
  
  METHODS
  In Study 1, the association between physical activity and affect in the daily lives of children with varying degrees of hyperactivity was examined. In Study 2, children with ADHD were randomly assigned a physical activity or a sedentary task before working on a task requiring executive control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lack of physical activity was shown to relate to depressed affect, more strongly in participants with severe hyperactivity symptoms (Study 1). The physically active participants showed improved executive functioning after only 5 min of vigorous activity; the sedentary control participants showed no improvement (Study 2).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that interventions to increase the level of physical activity in children with and without ADHD might improve affect and executive functioning.
authors.affiliation: Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Germany Center for Research on Education and Human Development DIPF, Germany caterina.gawrilow@uni-tuebingen.de.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gawrilow
authors.affiliation: Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Gertraud
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stadler
authors.affiliation: Center for Research on Education and Human Development DIPF, Germany Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Langguth
authors.affiliation: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry PK, Lüneburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naumann
authors.affiliation: University of Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Antje
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boeck
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D009043:Motor Activity; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: ADHD; affect; executive functions; physical activity