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. 2017 Jan 12:5:e2883.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.2883. eCollection 2017.

Effects of an 8-week yoga program on sustained attention and discrimination function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Chien-Chih Chou  1 , Chung-Ju Huang  1
Affiliations

Effects of an 8-week yoga program on sustained attention and discrimination function in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Chien-Chih Chou et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

This study investigated whether a yoga exercise intervention influenced the sustained attention and discrimination function in children with ADHD. Forty-nine participants (mean age = 10.50 years) were assigned to either a yoga exercise or a control group. Participants were given the Visual Pursuit Test and Determination Test prior to and after an eight-week exercise intervention (twice per week, 40 min per session) or a control intervention. Significant improvements in accuracy rate and reaction time of the two tests were observed over time in the exercise group compared with the control group. These findings suggest that alternative therapies such as yoga exercises can be complementary to behavioral interventions for children with attention and inhibition problems. Schools and parents of children with ADHD should consider alternatives for maximizing the opportunities that children with ADHD can engage in structured yoga exercises.

Keywords: Cognitive benefits; Executive function; Physical exercise.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The flow diagram for the progress of all participants through the trial.
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