{"id":110887,"date":"2026-07-21T17:57:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T21:57:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=110887"},"modified":"2026-07-21T18:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T22:04:15","slug":"exercises-impact-on-adhd-among-brock-research-given-2m-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2026\/07\/exercises-impact-on-adhd-among-brock-research-given-2m-boost\/","title":{"rendered":"Exercise\u2019s impact on ADHD among Brock research given $2M boost"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students living with attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often need accommodations in school, such as extended assignment deadlines or quieter spaces to complete exams.<\/p>\n

But a potential proactive intervention being investigated by Erin Panda and her team may \u201cflip educational accommodations on their head,\u201d she says, by boosting students\u2019 ability to focus, ignore distractions and remember the task at hand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a growing research base about how exercise supports the very cognitive skills that are hard for people who are further along on the ADHD continuum,\u201d says the Brock Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies and Director of the University\u2019s Developmental Neuroscience Lab<\/a>. \u201cAnd it makes sense intuitively that for someone who tends to be restless, hyperactive or inattentive that exercise might help those symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Erin<\/a>

Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Erin Panda, who is heading a study examining how exercise affects students with attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder, is one of 14 Brock researchers awarded funding from the Government of Canada\u2019s Social Sciences and Engineering Research Council.<\/p><\/div>\n

Panda and her interdisciplinary team will be exploring the impacts of exercise on the brain\u2019s executive functioning network thanks to an Insight Development Grant from the Government of Canada\u2019s Social Sciences and Engineering Research Council (SSHRC).<\/p>\n

The results of SSHRC\u2019s Insight Grant<\/a> and Insight Development Grant<\/a> programs were announced on Tuesday, July 21<\/a>, with 14 Brock University researchers receiving a total of $2 million for their projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cSSHRC\u2019s support for our scholars\u2019 projects speaks to the talent of the Brock University research community,\u201d says Vice-President, Research Tim Kenyon. \u201cThese projects will make significant inroads in the areas of children\u2019s development, the application of artificial intelligence and creating a safer society, among other impacts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Member of Parliament for St. Catharines Chris Bittle says the wider community \u2014 and the country \u2014 benefits from innovative Brock research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government of Canada is deeply committed to building a vibrant, healthy and prosperous country by supporting research that increases knowledge and understanding about people and the society in which they live,\u201d he says. \u201cBrock researchers\u2019 expertise and the range of subjects they are exploring through their projects are helping to advance this goal of creating a caring, flourishing Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n

For their project, Panda and her team are recruiting undergraduate university students who self-identify as being at various points on the ADHD spectrum. Participants will undergo a 30-minute session of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise during one visit to the lab and sit quietly reading or chatting for 30 minutes during the other visit.<\/p>\n

After each session, the researchers will measure the students\u2019 brain responses while they engage in tasks that require sustained attention, focus, working memory and creativity.<\/p>\n

They aim to determine whether exercise boosts executive function and creativity and if the impact is greatest for those who report more ADHD-like traits in their day-to-day lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m excited about the potential of highlighting an empowering, healthy strategy that gives people a sense of agency and shows them they can do something to help their learning instead of focusing solely on their deficits,\u201d Panda says.<\/p>\n

Her team includes retired Professor of Psychology Sidney Segalowitz, Associate Professor of Mathematics and Statistics William Marshall, Professor of Child and Youth Studies Ayda Tekok-Kilic, Associate Professor of Health Sciences Rebecca MacPherson, Professors of Kinesiology Barket Falk and Panagiota Klentrou, Associate Professor of Child and Youth Studies Matthew Kwan, and Executive Director of Student Wellness and Accessibility Services William Helmeczi.<\/p>\n

Brock researchers awarded Insight Grants include:<\/p>\n