SynthesisFrontiers in psychiatry2026
Exercise prescription to improve executive functioning in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a network meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The influence of chronic exercise intervention on the executive function of children with neurodevelopmental disorders: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurologyPooled it
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Objective: This study employs a network meta-analysis to investigate the potential effects of exercise type, duration, frequency, intensity, and cycle on executive functions (inhibitory control, working memory, cognitive flexibility) in children and adolescents with ADHD, thereby providing directional insights for future research. Methods: Five databases were systematically searched up to February 1, 2025, yielding 21 RCTs (n = 1,491) involving participants aged 7-18 years. The risk of bias was assessed using Cochrane tools. Standardised mean differences (SMDs) were used as effect measures, while SUCRA was used for probability ranking and GRADE for evidence quality grading. Results: Skill-based exercise outperformed isolated aerobic exercise in inhibitory control (SMD = 0.73, 95% CI 0.31-1.41) and cognitive flexibility (SMD = 3.08, 95% CI 0.52-5.63). Combined exercise outperformed controls in working memory (SMD = 0.73, 95% CI 0.35-1.12). SUCRA ranking indicated the highest cumulative probability for skill-based exercise in inhibitory control (95.8) and cognitive flexibility (95.5), while aerobic exercise had the highest probability for working memory (87.1). Sensitivity analyses indicated that estimates for cognitive flexibility were significantly influenced by individual studies, demonstrating limited robustness. Conclusion: Preliminary evidence suggests that moderate-intensity, skill-based exercise may improve inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility within 6-10 weeks. Aerobic exercise may enhance working memory within 4-5 weeks. However, factors such as ADHD subtypes, age, and dose-response relationships remain unclear. Clinical implementation should be individualised and await high-quality validation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.