Effect of Exercise Training on Fine Motor Skills

Effect of Two Types of Exercise Training on Fine Motor Skills in Adolescents: Association With Testosterone

Despite the importance of physical activity for adolescent physical development, the specific impact of different types of exercise training on fine motor skills and testosterone concentration is unknown. A primary aim of this study was to analyze the benefits of cardiovascular and coordinative exercise training on fine motor skills in an adolescent population. A second aim of our study was to determine the testosterone concentration after physical stress of cardiovascular and coordinative exercise training and if testosterone was related to fine motor skills among adolescents following an exercise training intervention.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Fine Motor Skills; Testosterone Concentration
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: exercise training

Detailed Description

We assigned 135 adolescents (68 girls, 12-15 years of age) from Lithuania. Adolescents were assigned to one of three groups: control group (CON) (n = 46; 23 girls), coordinative exercise (CE) (n = 41; 22 girls), and cardiovascular exercise (CVE) group (n = 48; 23 girls). Participants performed all necessary tests according to the study protocol one week before the intervention. Adolescents were familiarized with the tests on a separate day before the first assessment. A second set of tests was performed one week after the 10-week exercise intervention.

The exercise intervention period was 10 weeks. Exercises were led by a Physical Education teacher. Experimental groups had common physical education classes twice per week for 45 minutes each, and additional exercise sessions were held three times per week for 45 minutes after school.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 135
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Lithuania
  • Kaunas, Lithuania
    • Lithuanian Sports University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 8 years to 10 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• absence of physical impairment (e.g. traumatic injury)
• absence of mental impairment (e.g. mental retardation)
• no consumption of psychotropic medications

Exclusion Criteria:

• restrictions to do exercises (based on Medical certificate issued by the Physician)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control group; Participants underwent only common physical education classes twice per week for 45 minutes each and no additional after-school exercises.
Experimental: Coordinative exercise group; Participants had common physical education classes twice per week for 45 minutes each, and additional exercise sessions were held three times per week for 45 minutes after school.	Behavioral: exercise training; Exercise training session for 45 minutes.
Experimental: Cardiovascular exercise group; Participants had common physical education classes twice per week for 45 minutes each, and additional exercise sessions were held three times per week for 45 minutes after school.	Behavioral: exercise training; Exercise training session for 45 minutes.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Fine motor skills assessed by the Flower trail test	Flower trail test was used to assess fine motor skills. The participant has to draw a line between two solid lines as accurately as possible and without lifting a pen. A higher score in the flower trail test means more mistakes made. Change = (week 10 score - baseline score)	baseline and week 10
Salivary testosterone concentration	Hormone concentration within the saliva sample was measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IBL, Hamburg, Germany). Change = (week 10 score - baseline score).	baseline and week 10

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hand-eye coordination assessed by the Hand-eye coordination test	Participant has to throw a tennis ball against a wall and catch and repeat this for 30 seconds. A number of successful catches is recorded, higher score shows better coordination. Change = (week 10 score - baseline score).	baseline and week 10
static balance assessed by the Flamingo balance test	Flamingo balance test is used to assess static balance. Every attempt to maintain balance for 1 minute is counted as a score. Small values (closer to 1) indicate a better balance. Change = (week 10 score - baseline score)	baseline and week 10
Cardiorespiratory fitness assessed by the Shuttle Run Test	On this test, the participant must run back and forth between two lines (20 meters apart) with increasing intensity. Higher score means a better cardiorespiratory fitness. Change = (week 10 score - baseline score).	baseline and week 10

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Lithuanian Sports University
• Collaborators: Medical School Hamburg
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Juste Knatauskaite, Lithuanian Sports University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 15, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 30, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): September 28, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 25, 2021
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): February 2, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 2, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 29, 2021
• Last Verified: January 1, 2021

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: school, cardiovascular exercise, coordinative exercise
• Other Study ID Numbers: LithuanianSportsU-5

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No