An interventional study of Mentally active sitting and 5-minute physical exercise in Executive Functions (EF), sponsored by Shenzhen University. Completed at 1 site in China. Open to participants aged 9 Years to 13 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-08-11.
Sponsored by Shenzhen University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
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.
Shenzhen University is the lead sponsor of 3 studies on the registry; 1 is open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Exclusion Criteria:
Behavioral: Mentally active sitting
Behavioral: 5-minute physical exercise
Behavioral: 10-minute physical exercise
Participants remain seated for approximately 10 minutes before class while engaging in a cognitively stimulating activity designed to elicit mental effort without physical exertion.
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.
Participants do 10-minute physical exercise before class.
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.
Time frame: 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.
Time frame: 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).
This study is completed, as verified in Jul 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Shenzhen University