Mini-Basketball Training Program Improves Social Communication and White Matter Integrity in Children with Autism

Impairments in social communication (SC) represent one of the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While previous studies have demonstrated that exercise intervention improves SC in children with ASD, there is currently no neuroscientific evidence supporting its benefits. Therefore, we evaluated the outcomes of a long-term exercise intervention on SC and white matter integrity (WMI) in children with ASD, and further explored the neural mechanism of exercise intervention on SC in these children. Twenty-nine children aged 3–6 years with ASD were assigned to either exercise group (n = 15) or control group (n = 14). The exercise group received a scheduled mini-basketball training program (5 sessions per week, forty minutes per session) for 12 consecutive weeks, while the control group was instructed to maintain their daily activities. Groups were assessed before and after intervention on SC and WMI. SC scores were lower in the exercise group post-intervention. Compared with the control group, WMI of the exercise group showed higher fractional anisotropy in the body of corpus callosum, fornix, right cerebral peduncle, left posterior limb of internal capsule, right retrolenticular part of internal capsule, left anterior corona radiate and left superior fronto-occipital fasciculus; lower mean diffusivity in the left anterior corona radiate and the bilateral corticospinal tract. Furthermore, increased WMI was associated with lower scores on a measure of social cognition in the overall sample. This study is the first to provide evidence that exercise intervention improves SC and white matter integrity in children with autism.

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Mini-Basketball Training Program Improves Physical Fitness and Social Communication in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Journal of Human Kinetics ◽

10.2478/hukin-2020-0007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 267-278 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ke-Long Cai ◽

Jin-Gui Wang ◽

Zhi-Mei Liu ◽

Li-Na Zhu ◽

Xuan Xiong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Physical Fitness ◽

Training Program ◽

Social Communication ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Control Group ◽

Physical Fitness Test ◽

Spectrum Disorders

AbstractThis investigation examined the effects of a 12-week mini-basketball training program (MBTP) on physical fitness and social communication in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The study applied a quasi-experimental design. Fifty-nine preschool children aged 3-6 years with ASD were assigned to either a MBTP group (n = 30) or a control group (n = 29). Participants in the MBTP group received a scheduled mini-basketball training program (5 sessions per week, forty minutes per session) for twelve consecutive weeks, while the control group was instructed to maintain their daily activities. The physical fitness test and the parent-reported Social Responsiveness Scale Second Edition (SRS-2) test were performed before and after the intervention. Results indicated that the 12-week MBTP facilitated performance in the physical fitness test, particularly in speed-agility and muscular strength abilities. Additionally, children in the MBTP group demonstrated improvement in SRS-2 performance in social awareness, social cognition, social communication, and autistic mannerisms, whereas no such changes were found in the control group. It may be concluded that the 12-week MBTP could improve physical fitness and social communication in preschool children with ASD, and thus the use of physical exercise intervention as a therapeutic tool for preschoolers with ASD is recommended.

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Effects of Mini-Basketball Training Program on Social Communication Impairment and Executive Control Network in Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18105132 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (10) ◽

pp. 5132

Author(s):

Sixin Yang ◽

Zhimei Liu ◽

Xuan Xiong ◽

Kelong Cai ◽

Lina Zhu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Executive Control ◽

Social Communication ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Control Group ◽

Control Network ◽

Executive Control Network ◽

Children With Asd

This study evaluated the effect of a 12-week mini-basketball training program (MBTP) on social communication (SC) and the executive control network (ECN) in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We finally assigned 30 preschool children with ASD to an experiment group (n = 15, 12 males, 3 females) or a control group (n = 15, 13 males, 2 females). The experiment group participated in a 12-week MBTP (40-min sessions per day, 5 days a week), while the control group only received the institutional routine behavioral rehabilitation intervention. The SC of preschool children with ASD was measured using the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2), whereas functional connectivity (FC) of the ECN was assessed using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) at pre-and post-test. Our results showed that SC exhibited significant improvement in the intervention group, especially in SRS-2 total score, social cognition, and social communication. We found significantly enhanced functional connectivity between the right cerebellum and left inferior frontal gyrus in the experimental group, while functional connectivity between the left middle temporal gyrus and right cerebellum were decreased in the control group. Furthermore, there were no significant correlations between the change in SC scores and FC of the ECN. Altogether, this study provides valuable insights that a 12-week MBTP improves SC and functional connectivity of the ECN in preschool children with ASD. We further inferred that neural mechanisms might be associated with changing the ECN of preschool ASD children caused by the 12-week MBTP.

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Applied Behavior Analysis Intervention Can Improved Behaviors and Social Skills among Children with Autism

10.26420/austinchildadolescpsychiatry.2021.1014 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yousefi M ◽

◽

Jafari A ◽

Khalili M ◽

Meshkat F ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Skills ◽

Behavior Analysis ◽

Applied Behavior Analysis ◽

Social Communication ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Control Group ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Stereotyped Behaviors

Background: Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are at particular risk of impairment in social interaction, repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, and a poor quality of life. We tested whether applied behavior analysis intervention could, compared to a control condition, reduce repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, and increase social skills and thus enhance the quality of life among children with ASD. Methods: Thirty children with ASD (mean age: 6.5 years) were randomly assigned either to applied behavior analysis intervention or to a control condition. All participants completed Gareth test on stereotypical behaviors, social communication, and interaction skills at the following time points: baseline, and six months later at completion of the intervention. Findings: Stereotypical behaviors, social communication, and interaction skills improved over time from baseline to intervention completion, but more so in the applied behavior analysis intervention than in the control group. Compared to the control group, the applied behavior analysis intervention group reported had more positive scores. Conclusion: The findings suggest that among children with ASD and compared to a control condition, applied behavior analysis intervention has the potential to improve symptoms of autism, thus contributing to their quality of life.

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Aerobic Exercise Intervention Alters Executive Function and White Matter Integrity in Deaf Children: A Randomized Controlled Study

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2018/3735208 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2018 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Xuan Xiong ◽

Li-Na Zhu ◽

Xiao-xiao Dong ◽

Wei Wang ◽

Jun Yan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Executive Function ◽

White Matter ◽

Aerobic Exercise ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Diffusion Tensor ◽

White Matter Integrity ◽

Deaf Children ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Behavioral Performance

This study examined the effects of an 11-week aerobic exercise intervention on executive function (EF) and white matter integrity (WMI). In total, 28 deaf children (aged 9–13 years) were randomly assigned to either an 11-week exercise intervention or the control group. All the children had behavioral assessment and diffusion tensor imaging prior to and following the exercise intervention. The behavioral performance results demonstrated that EF was enhanced by exercise. Relative to the control group, WMI of the exercise intervention group showed (1) lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the pontine crossing tract (PCT) and right cingulum (hippocampus) (CH), genu of the corpus callosum (gCC), right inferior cerebellar peduncle (ICP), left superior corona radiata (SCR), and left superior frontooccipital fasciculus (SFOF); (2) higher mean diffusivity (MD) in the gCC, right CH, right inferior frontooccipital fasciculus (IFOF), and left anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC); and (3) lower MD in the left ICP and left tapetum (TAP). Furthermore, the lower FA in gCC showed a significant negative correlation with improvement in behavioral performance, but the correlation was not significant after FDR correction. These results suggest that exercise can effectively improve deaf children’s EF and reshape the WMI in deaf children. The improved EF by exercise is not related to a reshaping of WMI, but more studies on the relationship between EF and WMI by exercise may be needed.

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Parent utilization of ImPACT intervention strategies is a mediator of proximal then distal social communication outcomes in younger siblings of children with ASD

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361320946883 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 136236132094688

Author(s):

Paul J Yoder ◽

Wendy L Stone ◽

Sarah R Edmunds

Keyword(s):

Communication Skills ◽

Social Communication ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Language Ability ◽

Language Delay ◽

Control Group ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Motor Imitation ◽

Spectrum Disorders

Younger siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (HR-Sibs) are at elevated risk for social communication deficits and language delays. One way to mitigate this risk early, before these deficits and delays become clear or impairing, may be to equip parents to use the strategies taught through the Improving Parents as Communication Teachers (ImPACT) intervention. In this randomized control trial, 97 HR-Sibs (mean age 14 months) and their primary caregiver were randomized to either ImPACT or a business-as-usual control group. Our a priori, preregistered hypothesis was that parents’ participation in ImPACT training would indirectly attenuate younger siblings’ social communication challenges 9 months later by sequentially increasing parents’ use of ImPACT strategies immediately after the intervention phase and by improving children’s midpoint proximal skills (e.g. motor imitation or intentional communication). Results supported this prediction. Lay abstract Later born siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are at elevated risk for language delay or ASD. One way to manage this risk may be for parents to use techniques taught in Improving Parents as Communication Teachers (ImPACT) with the younger siblings during the period in which language delay and ASD may be too subtle to be diagnosed. ImPACT targets children’s play, imitation, and communication skills. Improvement in these skills may reduce the severity of language delays and social communication deficits associated with ASD. In this study, 97 younger siblings of children with ASD and their primary parents were randomly assigned to ImPACT or a control group. We measured whether parents used ImPACT teaching strategies and whether children used the skills that ImPACT targets. We also measured children’s later language ability and social communication skills. The results confirmed our predictions that parents’ use of ImPACT strategies improves language ability by improving children’s motor imitation and communication skills. Use of ImPACT also had a positive effect on children’s language delay and ASD symptoms, supporting the clinical value of the findings. The study’s methodological strengths make this one of the most rigorous tests of ImPACT and supports one way to manage the risk of language delay and ASD in younger siblings of children with ASD.

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Influence of Aerobic Fitness on White Matter Integrity and Inhibitory Control in Early Adulthood: A 9-Week Exercise Intervention

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11081080 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (8) ◽

pp. 1080

Author(s):

Hao Zhu ◽

Lina Zhu ◽

Xuan Xiong ◽

Xiaoxiao Dong ◽

Dandan Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

White Matter ◽

Inhibitory Control ◽

Aerobic Fitness ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Exercise Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Control Performance ◽

The Relationship

Previous cross-sectional studies have related aerobic fitness to inhibitory control and white matter (WM) microstructure in young adults, but there is no longitudinal study to confirm whether these relationships exist. We carried out a longitudinal study comparing aerobic fitness, inhibitory control, and WM integrity across time points, before versus after completing an exercise intervention in young adults (18–20 years old) relative to a control group. The exercise group (n = 35) participated in a 9-week exercise protocol, while the control group (n = 24) did not receive any regular exercise training. Behavioral data and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were collected prior to and following the intervention. After the exercise intervention, aerobic fitness and inhibitory control performance were significantly improved for the exercise group, but not for the control group. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) of the DTI data demonstrated significantly increased fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right corticospinal tract and significantly decreased FA in the left superior fronto-occipital fasciculus in the exercise group after the intervention versus before. The enhanced aerobic fitness induced by exercise was associated with better inhibitory control performance in the incongruent condition and lower FA in the Left superior fronto-occipital fasciculus (SFOF). Regression analysis of a mediation model did not support Left SFOF FA as a mediator of the relationship between improvements in aerobic fitness and inhibitory control. The present data provide new evidence of the relationship between exercise-induced changes in aerobic fitness, WM integrity, and inhibitory control in early adulthood. Longer-duration intervention studies with larger study cohorts are needed to confirm and further explore the findings obtained in this study.

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Longitudinal deterioration of white-matter integrity: heterogeneity in the ageing population

Brain Communications ◽

10.1093/braincomms/fcaa238 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Konstantinos Poulakis ◽

Robert I Reid ◽

Scott A Przybelski ◽

David S Knopman ◽

Jonathan Graff-Radford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Internal Capsule ◽

Population Based ◽

White Matter Integrity ◽

Ageing Population ◽

White Matter Tract ◽

Imaging Data ◽

Cognitive Assessments ◽

Longitudinal Imaging ◽

Systemic Health

Abstract Deterioration in white-matter health plays a role in cognitive ageing. Our goal was to discern heterogeneity of white-matter tract vulnerability in ageing using longitudinal imaging data (two to five imaging and cognitive assessments per participant) from a population-based sample of 553 elderly participants (age ≥60 years). We found that different clusters (healthy white matter, fast white-matter decliners and intermediate white-matter group) were heterogeneous in the spatial distribution of white-matter integrity, systemic health and cognitive trajectories. White-matter health of specific tracts (genu of corpus callosum, posterior corona radiata and anterior internal capsule) informed about cluster assignments. Not surprisingly, brain amyloidosis was not significantly different between clusters. Clusters had differential white-matter tract vulnerability to ageing (commissural fibres > association/brainstem fibres). Identification of vulnerable white-matter tracts is a valuable approach to assessing risk for cognitive decline.

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Football Juggling Learning Alters the Working Memory and White Matter Integrity in Early Adulthood: A Randomized Controlled Study

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11093843 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 3843

Author(s):

Yifan Shi ◽

Kelong Cai ◽

Hao Zhu ◽

Xiaoxiao Dong ◽

Xuan Xiong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Working Memory ◽

White Matter ◽

Motor Skill ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Skill Learning ◽

Neural Mechanisms ◽

White Matter Integrity ◽

Control Group ◽

Motor Skill Learning ◽

Experimental Group

Cross-sectional studies suggest that motor skill learning is associated with working memory (WM) and white matter integrity (WMI). However, it has not been established whether motor skill learning improves WM performance, and information on its neural mechanisms have not been clearly elucidated. Therefore, this study compared WM and WMI across time points prior to and following football juggling learning, in early adulthood (18–20 years old), relative to a control group. Study participants in the experimental group were subjected to football juggling for 10 weeks while participants in the control category went on with their routine life activities for the same period of time and were not involved in the learning-related activities. Data on cognitive measurements and that from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were collected before and after learning. There was a significant improvement in WM performance of the experimental group after motor learning, although no improvement was observed in the control group. Additionally, after learning, DTI data revealed a significant increase in functional anisotropy (FA) in the genu of corpus callosum (GOCC) and the right anterior corona radiata (R.ACR) in the experimental group. Moreover, the better WM associated with football juggling learning was correlated to a higher FA. Mediation analysis suggested that FA in the GOCC acts as a mediation variable between football juggling learning and WM. These findings show that motor skill learning improves the WM and remodels WMI in early adulthood. With a particular emphasis on the importance of WMI in motor skill learning and WM, this study also revealed the possible neural mechanisms mediated by WMI.

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Brain Structure, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Executive Control Changes after a 9-Week Exercise Intervention in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Life ◽

10.3390/life11040292 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 292

Author(s):

Lina Zhu ◽

Qian Yu ◽

Fabian Herold ◽

Boris Cheval ◽

Xiaoxiao Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Aerobic Exercise ◽

Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽

Executive Control ◽

Brain Structure ◽

Grey Matter ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Exercise Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Younger Adults

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is assumed to exert beneficial effects on brain structure and executive control (EC) performance. However, empirical evidence of exercise-induced cognitive enhancement is not conclusive, and the role of CRF in younger adults is not fully understood. Here, we conducted a study in which healthy young adults took part in a moderate aerobic exercise intervention program for 9 weeks (exercise group; n = 48), or control condition of non-aerobic exercise intervention (waitlist control group; n = 72). Before and after the intervention period maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) as an indicator of CRF, the Flanker task as a measure of EC performance and grey matter volume (GMV), as well as cortical thickness via structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were assessed. Compared to the control group, the CRF (heart rate, p < 0.001; VO2max, p < 0.001) and EC performance (congruent and incongruent reaction time, p = 0.011, p < 0.001) of the exercise group were significantly improved after the 9-week aerobic exercise intervention. Furthermore, GMV changes in the left medial frontal gyrus increased in the exercise group, whereas they were significantly reduced in the control group. Likewise, analysis of cortical morphology revealed that the left lateral occipital cortex (LOC.L) and the left precuneus (PCUN.L) thickness were considerably increased in the exercise group, which was not observed in the control group. The exploration analysis confirmed that CRF improvements are linked to EC improvement and frontal grey matter changes. In summary, our results support the idea that regular endurance exercises are an important determinant for brain health and cognitive performance even in a cohort of younger adults.

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The effects of an individualized exercise intervention on body composition in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment

Sao Paulo Medical Journal ◽

10.1590/s1516-31802007000100005 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 125 (1) ◽

pp. 22-28 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Claudio Battaglini ◽

Martim Bottaro ◽

Carolyn Dennehy ◽

Logan Rae ◽

Edgar Shields ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Body Composition ◽

Resistance Training ◽

Cancer Treatment ◽

Cancer Patients ◽

Exercise Intervention ◽

Exercise Group ◽

Moderate Intensity ◽

Control Group ◽

Breast Cancer Patients

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Changes in metabolism have been reported in the majority of patients undergoing cancer treatment, and these are usually characterized by progressive change in body composition. The effects of aerobic exercise programs to combat the cancer and cancer treatment-related side effects, which include the negative changes in body composition, have been extensively reported in the literature. However, few resistance exercise intervention studies have hypothesized that breast cancer patients might benefit from this type of exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise protocols that emphasize resistance training would change body composition and strength in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment. DESIGN AND SETTING: Randomized controlled trial, at the Campus Recreation Center and Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute of the University of Northern Colorado, and the North Colorado Medical Center. METHODS: Twenty inactive breast cancer patients were randomly assigned to a 21-week exercise group (n = 10) or a control group (n = 10). The exercise group trained at low to moderate intensity for 60 minutes on two days/week. The primary outcome measurements included body composition (skinfold method) and muscle strength (one repetition maximum). RESULTS: Significant differences in lean body mass, body fat and strength (p = 0.004, p = 0.004, p = 0.025, respectively) were observed between the groups at the end of the study. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that exercise emphasizing resistance training promotes positive changes in body composition and strength in breast cancer patients undergoing treatment.

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