Inspiring Minds seeks to broaden awareness and impact of graduate student research, while enhancing transferable skills. Students were challenged to describe their research, scholarship or creative activity in 150 or fewer words to share with our community.

Hyperactivity: Friend or Foe?

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by deficits in executive functioning, particularly inhibitory control – the suppression of predominant responses. Children with ADHD are often singled out for their hyperactivity at school, leading to worse academic and emotional outcomes. Interestingly, recent work suggests that hyperactivity may play a functional role, rather than harm children with ADHD. Hyperactivity may be used to compensate for hypo-cortical arousal, aiding in enhanced executive functioning. It is evident that physical activity has powerful effects on executive functioning in children with ADHD, therefore, physical activity and hyperactivity may share similar effects on neural mechanisms. The current study aims to investigate the neurocognitive effects of simultaneous physical activity (desk cycle) and a cognitive task (Stroop task) in children with and without ADHD. Combined physical and cognitive activity may be an effective intervention to help mediate executive functioning difficulties while learning in the classroom.

Beverly-Ann Hoy
MA candidate, Education
Faculty of Education - Western University

Supervisor
Barb Fenesi (https://www.edu.uwo.ca/about/faculty-profiles/barbara-fenesi/index.html)

Beverly-Ann is a second-year student in the School and Applied Child Psychology program at Western University. She aims to complete both the masters and Ph.D. program, and eventually register as a Clinical Psychologist. Beverly-Ann is very interested in lifestyle and novel interventions that enhance brain health and well-being. Exploring experience-dependant mechanisms and brain plasticity is what drives her research. Her current masters research aims to understand the effects of physical activity on blood flow in the prefrontal cortex, academic performance, and self-efficacy in children with ADHD. Overall, Beverly-Ann’s work sheds light on preventative and adjunctive measures that may bolster the effectiveness of standard treatments to mental health and neurodevelopmental disorders.  

You can connect with Beverly-Ann on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverly-ann-hoy-58b925177/ and via email at bhoy6@uwo.ca.

View Beverly-Ann's work as it appears in the Inspiring Minds Digital Collection: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/inspiringminds/616/.