中強度急性運動對注意力缺陷過動症孩童空間工作記憶的影響

Effects of Moderate Intensity Acute Exercise on Spatial Working Memory in Children with Attention Deficit/hyperactivity Disorder

緒論：工作記憶一直是影響孩童學習效果的重要因素，而注意力缺陷過動症(Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD) 的孩童在工作記憶上卻比一般孩童差，因而導致學習表現較差。更有學者提出ADHD孩童工作記憶的缺陷可能是行為異常的核心原因。過去研究發現急性運動能夠促進正常孩童工作記憶功能，而工作記憶對ADHD孩童又如此重要，但仍未針對急性運動對ADHD孩童工作記憶的效果進行探討。因此本研究主要目的在探討中等強度急性運動對注意力缺陷過動症孩童工作記憶的影響。方法：實驗設計採用單一受試者之倒返實驗設計，包括基線期、介入期和追蹤期，招募三位ADHD孩童進行30分鐘之急性運動介入，並採用視覺空間工作記憶評估作業表現。結果：在基線期與介入期的視覺分析比較中，三位孩童的介入期皆有正向效果，在介入期有平均水準上升 (+7)，效果量 (d ) = 7.26。反之，無運動介入時 (追蹤期)，則有平均水準下降 (-5)，效果量 (d ) = -6.09。本研究顯示急性運動可以提升ADHD之視覺空間工作記憶，但是運動結束後三天此提升效果幾乎消失。本研究與過去研究發現急性運動可以促進ADHD孩童抑制功能一致。結論：透過中強度急性運動能夠提升ADHD孩童工作記憶的表現。

Introduction: Working memory (WM) plays an important role in the learning processes and daily fucntioning, and a large deficit in WM has been reported in children with ADHD relative to typically developed children. Although physical activity has been found to be beneficial to WM in the typically developed children, whether the same benefit can be generalized to the children with ADHD remains untested. Therefore, this study examined the effect of moderate intensity acute exercise on working memory in children with ADHD. Methods: A single subject ABA design was used, three children with ADHD were recruited, and all participants performed the moderate intensity exercise for 30 minutes. Results: A comparison between baseline and treatment phases showed an average improvement of 7 level and effect size of 7.26. These results indicated that moderate intensity acute exercise improved WM in children with ADHD but the magnitude of improvement was dramatically reduced after the cessation of exercise intervention. This is consistent with the report that acute exercise can improve the inhibition part of executive function in children with ADHD. Conclusion: The case study revealed that ADHD children can improve their performance of working memory through moderate intensity acute exercise.