The Effectiveness of Aerobic Exercise in the Treatment of Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
NCT ID: NCT02788851
Last Updated: 2018-08-15
Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.
UNKNOWN
NA
70 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2016-04-30
2018-12-31
Brief Summary
Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.
Related Clinical Trials
Explore similar clinical trials based on study characteristics and research focus.
Structured Physical Training with and Without Cognitive Support for Adults with ADHD
NCT05049239
Aerobic Exercise and Cognitive Training in Older Adults
NCT02787655
Evaluation of an Aerobic Exercise Program in Migraine Management
NCT01857557
Treating Persistent Post-concussion Symptoms With Exercise
NCT03895450
Individualized Exploration of Aerobic Exercise-assisted Treatment of Depression
NCT06594588
Detailed Description
Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness, regarding ADHD symptoms, of an eight week aerobic exercise intervention, medication, and the combination of both aerobic exercise and medication treatments for adults with ADHD. The secondary objectives are to determine the effectiveness of these treatments on social skills, as measured by functioning in work, social, and family situations; anxiety symptoms; depressive symptoms; self-esteem; and the effect of motivation for exercise on adherence to exercise treatment.
Hypothesis: Investigators hypothesize that the combined group which receives aerobic exercise and medication intervention will have the greatest improvement in both primary and secondary outcome measures; that treatment gains will be maintained at follow-up only if treatments are continued.
Methods: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups:
1. Aerobic exercise intervention only. Participants of this group will meet twice a week for 8 consecutive weeks. Each meeting will involve 1 hour of moderate-vigorous intensity aerobic exercise.
2. Medication treatment only. Participants of this group will receive optimal medication for them and will gradually be titrated up to their optimal dose. Once they are optimally titrated, they will attend 8 weekly sessions of an education class, which will focus on different topics of adult ADHD. These meetings will last 1 hour each week. Educational meetings are meant to control for group effects of the exercise group intervention.
3. Medication combined with aerobic-exercise intervention. Participants of this group will receive optimal medication for them and will gradually be titrated up to their optimal dose. When the participants of this group will be at their optimal medication dose, they will begin the aerobic exercise classes twice a week for 8 weeks. They will not receive the educational sessions.
Randomization will be stratified by sex, age and the degree of physical activity per week. Power analyses indicate that 23 participants are needed per each treatment arm, accounting for a dropout rate of 20%. Therefore initial enrollments should be at minimum 69 patients for all three arms, at least 23 patients per arm. There will 2 groups in each arm of the study, accounting for 10-15 participants per group at any one time.
Conditions
See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.
Study Design
Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.
RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
TREATMENT
NONE
Study Groups
Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.
Medication only
Stimulant or non-stimulant medication only - Methylphenidate compounds and /or Amphetamine compounds and/or Strattera or Guanfacine. Investigators will be using a product approved for clinical use in Canada), with dose optimized for each participant based on report of efficacy and side effects. Once on an optimal dose of stimulant or non-stimulant medication they will attend 8 weekly education sessions about ADHD.
Methylphenidate compounds and /or Amphetamine compounds and/or Strattera or Guanfacine
Medication is titrated over a 4-week period with stepwise increments each week. Participants and their significant others will complete ADHD symptom scales at baseline and before each medication visit. Participants also complete a side effects scale at baseline and before each medication visit. The gradual increase will continue until there is no further improvement in symptoms and in the Clinical Global Improvement Scale or side effects are such that further increases are not indicated. Once the optimal dose is reached, the participant will remain on this dose for the remainder of the study. Additionally, once the optimal dose is reached participants will attend 8 weekly educational sessions about ADHD in adulthood.
Aerobic Exercise only
Participants attend a structured aerobic exercise class, twice a week for 8 weeks.
Aerobic Exercise
Participants will attend a structured aerobic exercise class twice a week for 8 weeks. Each class will last 60 minutes.
Combination Group
Participants assigned to this group will be optimally medicated (either stimulant or non-stimulant medication - approved for clinical use in Canada) and will attend a structured aerobic exercise class, twice a week for 8 weeks.
Methylphenidate compounds and /or Amphetamine compounds and/or Strattera or Guanfacine
Medication is titrated over a 4-week period with stepwise increments each week. Participants and their significant others will complete ADHD symptom scales at baseline and before each medication visit. Participants also complete a side effects scale at baseline and before each medication visit. The gradual increase will continue until there is no further improvement in symptoms and in the Clinical Global Improvement Scale or side effects are such that further increases are not indicated. Once the optimal dose is reached, the participant will remain on this dose for the remainder of the study. Additionally, once the optimal dose is reached participants will attend 8 weekly educational sessions about ADHD in adulthood.
Aerobic Exercise
Participants will attend a structured aerobic exercise class twice a week for 8 weeks. Each class will last 60 minutes.
Interventions
Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.
Methylphenidate compounds and /or Amphetamine compounds and/or Strattera or Guanfacine
Medication is titrated over a 4-week period with stepwise increments each week. Participants and their significant others will complete ADHD symptom scales at baseline and before each medication visit. Participants also complete a side effects scale at baseline and before each medication visit. The gradual increase will continue until there is no further improvement in symptoms and in the Clinical Global Improvement Scale or side effects are such that further increases are not indicated. Once the optimal dose is reached, the participant will remain on this dose for the remainder of the study. Additionally, once the optimal dose is reached participants will attend 8 weekly educational sessions about ADHD in adulthood.
Aerobic Exercise
Participants will attend a structured aerobic exercise class twice a week for 8 weeks. Each class will last 60 minutes.
Other Intervention Names
Discover alternative or legacy names that may be used to describe the listed interventions across different sources.
Eligibility Criteria
Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.
Inclusion Criteria
2. Barkley Childhood and Current Symptom of ADHD (1998) completed by self and informants (parents or siblings for childhood symptoms, spouses or co-workers for current symptoms). Required cut off on these scales are scores 1.5 Standard Deviation above relevant gender and age norms;
3. Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (1999) completed by self and informants, such as spouses or co-workers for current ADHD symptoms. Required cut off on these scales are scores 1.5 Standard Deviation above relevant gender and age norms;
4. Between 18 and 60 years old
5. Be able to give informed consent and comply with study procedures;
6. I.Q. of 85 or above on Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Third Edition (WAIS-III) by three verbal and three nonverbal subtests
7. Adequate command of English to be able to participate in the group treatment.
8. Written permission from a family physician to participate in aerobic exercise and no contra-indications for stimulant medication.
Exclusion Criteria
2. Current psychiatric comorbidity, which needs ongoing medication treatment e.g. bipolar disorder, major depression, suicidality, anxiety, current substance use disorder (must be free of substance abuse for 12 months);
3. Medical condition that preclude use of the stimulant medication, e.g. hypertension, cardiac disease, Tourette syndrome, etc.
4. Organic mental disorders or other significant neurological disorders, e.g. epilepsy, head injury, chorea, multiple sclerosis.
5. Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
6. Patients currently involved in intensive aerobic exercise, two hours per week or more.
7. Patients who are currently effectively treated for ADHD.
18 Years
60 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.
McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
OTHER
Responsible Party
Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.
Lily Hechtman
Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics; Director of Research - Division of Child Psychiatry
Principal Investigators
Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.
Lily Hechtman, MD, FRCPC
Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
McGill University Health Centre/Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre
Locations
Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.
Montreal Children's Hospital
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Countries
Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.
References
Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.
Davis CL, Tomporowski PD, McDowell JE, Austin BP, Miller PH, Yanasak NE, Allison JD, Naglieri JA. Exercise improves executive function and achievement and alters brain activation in overweight children: a randomized, controlled trial. Health Psychol. 2011 Jan;30(1):91-8. doi: 10.1037/a0021766.
Kang KD, Choi JW, Kang SG, Han DH. Sports therapy for attention, cognitions and sociality. Int J Sports Med. 2011 Dec;32(12):953-9. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1283175. Epub 2011 Nov 8.
Smith AL, Hoza B, Linnea K, McQuade JD, Tomb M, Vaughn AJ, Shoulberg EK, Hook H. Pilot physical activity intervention reduces severity of ADHD symptoms in young children. J Atten Disord. 2013 Jan;17(1):70-82. doi: 10.1177/1087054711417395. Epub 2011 Aug 25.
Tantillo M, Kesick CM, Hynd GW, Dishman RK. The effects of exercise on children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Feb;34(2):203-12. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200202000-00004.
Kramer AF, Hahn S, Cohen NJ, Banich MT, McAuley E, Harrison CR, Chason J, Vakil E, Bardell L, Boileau RA, Colcombe A. Ageing, fitness and neurocognitive function. Nature. 1999 Jul 29;400(6743):418-9. doi: 10.1038/22682. No abstract available.
Fiatarone Singh MA, Gates N, Saigal N, Wilson GC, Meiklejohn J, Brodaty H, Wen W, Singh N, Baune BT, Suo C, Baker MK, Foroughi N, Wang Y, Sachdev PS, Valenzuela M. The Study of Mental and Resistance Training (SMART) study-resistance training and/or cognitive training in mild cognitive impairment: a randomized, double-blind, double-sham controlled trial. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2014 Dec;15(12):873-80. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2014.09.010. Epub 2014 Oct 23.
Verret C, Guay MC, Berthiaume C, Gardiner P, Beliveau L. A physical activity program improves behavior and cognitive functions in children with ADHD: an exploratory study. J Atten Disord. 2012 Jan;16(1):71-80. doi: 10.1177/1087054710379735. Epub 2010 Sep 13.
Robinson AM, Bucci DJ. Individual and combined effects of physical exercise and methylphenidate on orienting behavior and social interaction in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Behav Neurosci. 2014 Dec;128(6):703-12. doi: 10.1037/bne0000015. Epub 2014 Aug 25.
Freeman MP. ADHD and pregnancy. Am J Psychiatry. 2014 Jul;171(7):723-8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13050680.
Cole CR, Blackstone EH, Pashkow FJ, Snader CE, Lauer MS. Heart-rate recovery immediately after exercise as a predictor of mortality. N Engl J Med. 1999 Oct 28;341(18):1351-7. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199910283411804.
Nishime EO, Cole CR, Blackstone EH, Pashkow FJ, Lauer MS. Heart rate recovery and treadmill exercise score as predictors of mortality in patients referred for exercise ECG. JAMA. 2000 Sep 20;284(11):1392-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.284.11.1392.
Gajria K, Lu M, Sikirica V, Greven P, Zhong Y, Qin P, Xie J. Adherence, persistence, and medication discontinuation in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder - a systematic literature review. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2014 Aug 22;10:1543-69. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S65721. eCollection 2014.
Joseph A, Cloutier M, Guerin A, Nitulescu R, Sikirica V. Treatment outcomes after methylphenidate in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder treated with lisdexamfetamine dimesylate or atomoxetine. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2016 Mar 24;10:391-405. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S98498. eCollection 2016.
Barnes DE, Santos-Modesitt W, Poelke G, Kramer AF, Castro C, Middleton LE, Yaffe K. The Mental Activity and eXercise (MAX) trial: a randomized controlled trial to enhance cognitive function in older adults. JAMA Intern Med. 2013 May 13;173(9):797-804. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.189.
Safren SA, Sprich S, Mimiaga MJ, Surman C, Knouse L, Groves M, Otto MW. Cognitive behavioral therapy vs relaxation with educational support for medication-treated adults with ADHD and persistent symptoms: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2010 Aug 25;304(8):875-80. doi: 10.1001/jama.2010.1192.
Other Identifiers
Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.
MUHC-15-226
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id
More Related Trials
Additional clinical trials that may be relevant based on similarity analysis.