Boosting Executive Function With Real-class Exercise

NCT07231536 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: ShenzhenURealClassExercise
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 240
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to examine the effects of acute pre-class physical exercise on executive function in real classroom settings. The main question it aims to answer is, "Does acute pre-class exercise enhance executive function compared to sedentary conditions?" Participants were students from primary school assigned by class to engage in one of several pre-class conditions: mentally passive sitting, mentally active sitting, 5-minute physical exercise, or 10-minute physical exercise. A cluster-randomized trial design was used to ensure ecological validity in authentic classroom environments. Cognitive tasks measuring inhibitory control were administered at baseline and pre-/post-class. The results indicate that pre-class exercise leads to greater improvements in inhibitory control than sedentary conditions, suggesting that integrating brief exercise sessions before lessons may be an effective strategy to optimize learning in educational contexts.

Conditions

Executive Functions (EF)

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Domain- specific Cognition

  This indicator is measured using the computerized Children's Version of the math-related Negative Priming task. The underlying measures employed are task accuracy and reaction time, without involving any physiological measurements.

  Measurements were taken at three time points: baseline (0:00), after the 10-minute intervention (0:15), and following the 40-minute class (0:60).

• Domain-general Cognition

  This indicator is measured using the computerized Children's Version of the Erikson Flanker task. The underlying measures employed are task accuracy and reaction time, without involving any physiological measurements.

  Measurements were taken at three time points: baseline (0:00), after the 10-minute intervention (0:15), and following the 40-minute class (0:60).

Study Arms (4)

mentally passive sedentary behavior

NO INTERVENTION

mentally active sedentary behavior

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Behavioral: Mentally active sitting

5-minute physical exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: 5-minute physical exercise

10-minute physical exercise

EXPERIMENTAL

Behavioral: 10-minute physical exercise

Interventions

Mentally active sitting BEHAVIORAL

Participants remain seated for approximately 10 minutes before class while engaging in a cognitively stimulating activity designed to elicit mental effort without physical exertion.

mentally active sedentary behavior

5-minute physical exercise BEHAVIORAL

Participants remain seated quietly for approximately 5 minutes before class without performing any structured cognitive or physical tasks. Then they will have 5-minute physical exercise before class.

5-minute physical exercise

10-minute physical exercise BEHAVIORAL

Participants do 10-minute physical exercise before class.

10-minute physical exercise

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 9 Years - 13 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• right-handed, had normal or corrected-to-normal visual acuity, and normal color vision

You may not qualify if:

• reported a history of cardiovascular, metabolic, gastrointestinal, neurological, or psychiatric disorders or conditions requiring medical attention.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Shenzhen University: lead

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Exercise

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Central Study Contacts

Liye Zou, Doctor

CONTACT

+86 188 2343 7684; liyezou123@gmail.com

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 13, 2025
• First Posted: November 17, 2025
• Study Start: December 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): May 17, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 16, 2026
• Last Updated: November 17, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-11