Acute Bouts of Assisted Cycling Improves Cognitive and Upper Extremity Movement Functions in Adolescents with Down Syndrome

• Published in: Intellectual and developmental disabilities 2014-04, Vol.52 (2), p.124-135
• Main Authors: Ringenbach, Shannon D. R, Albert, Andrew R, Chen, Chih-Chia, Alberts, Jay L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Development; Adolescents; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aging (Individuals); Anatomy; Animal cognition; Animals; Bicycling - physiology; Bicycling - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Chromosome aberrations; Cognition - physiology; Cognitive Ability; Comparative Analysis; Down Syndrome; Down Syndrome - physiopathology; Down Syndrome - psychology; Executive Function; Exercise; Exercise Physiology; Exercise Test; Female; Fitness equipment; Humans; Individual Characteristics; Intellectual deficiency; Intellectual Disability; Intervention; Male; Medical genetics; Medical sciences; Meta Analysis; Motor ability; Movement - physiology; Obesity; Older Adults; Older people; Patients; Physical Activities; Physical Characteristics; Physical Fitness; Program Effectiveness; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychomotor Skills; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Rating Scales; Reaction Time; Short Term Memory; Studies; Teenagers; Upper Extremity - physiopathology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1934-9556; 1934-9491; 1934-9556
• DOI: 10.1352/1934-9556-52.2.124

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of 2 modes of exercise on cognitive and upper extremity movement functioning in adolescents with Down syndrome (DS). Nine participants randomly completed 3 interventions over 3 consecutive weeks. The interventions were: (a) voluntary cycling (VC), in which participants cycled at their self-selected pedaling rate; (b) assisted cycling (AC), in which the participants' voluntary pedaling rates were augmented with a motor to ensure the maintenance of 80 rpm; and (c) no cycling (NC), in which the participants sat and listened to music. Manual dexterity improved after AC, but not after VC or NC. Measures of cognitive function, including reaction time and cognitive planning, also improved after AC, but not after the other interventions. Future research will try to uncover the mechanisms involved in the behavioral improvements found after an acute bout of assisted cycling in adolescents with DS.