Acute aerobic exercise at different intensities modulates inhibitory control and cortical excitability in adults with Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Background This study aimed to investigate the effects of different aerobic exercise intensities on inhibitory control and cortical excitability in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods The study was conducted in a within-subject design. Twenty-four adults with ADHD completed a stop signal task and received cortical excitability assessment by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) before and after a single session of low-, moderate-, high-intensity aerobic exercise or a control intervention. Results Acute moderate-, and high-intensity aerobic exercise improved inhibitory control in adults with ADHD. Moreover, the improving effect was similar between moderate-, and high-intensity aerobic exercise conditions. As shown by the brain physiology results, short interval intracortical inhibition was significantly increased following both, moderate- and high-intensity aerobic exercise intervention conditions. Additionally, the alteration of short interval intracortical inhibition and inhibitory control improvement were positively correlated. Conclusions The moderate-, and high-intensity aerobic exercise-dependent alterations of cortical excitability in adults with ADHD might partially explain the inhibitory control-improving effects of aerobic exercise in this population.