Effectiveness of High-Intensity Interval Exercise on Serum Dopamine Level and Improvement of Perceptual-Motor Skills in Male Students with Hyperactivity/Attention Deficit Disorder

Aims: Known by hyperactivity, inattentiveness, and impulsiveness, the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered as a behavioral disorder in the children, as well as in the adolescents. The disorder might also damage their motor skill procedure. The aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of 6-week high intensity interval exercise on the serum dopamine levels and the improvement of perceptual-motor performance in boys with ADHD.
In the controlled pretest-posttest semi-experimental study, 20 adolescent male students with ADHD of the eastern Tehran schools were studied in 2015. The subjects, selected by random sampling method, were randomly divided into two groups including experimental (n=10) and control (n=10) groups. 6-week high intensity interval training (3 days a week) was conducted in experimental group. The anthropometric indices, dopamine levels, and perceptual-motor performance scores were measured both at the beginning and at the end of the course. Data was analyzed by SPSS 16 software using paired T and independent T tests.
Findings: In the experimental group, the dopamine levels significantly increased at the posttest stage compared to the pretest (p=0.01), while BMI (p=0.001) and body fat percentage (p=0.002) significantly decreased. In addition, the motor skill score significantly increased in experimental group (p=0.001). No variable was significantly changed in control group during the 6 weeks (p>0.05).
6-week high intensity interval exercise improves perceptual-motor performance and increases serum dopamine levels in boys with ADHD.