Acute Effects of Whole Body Vibration on Inhibition in Healthy Children.

Anne E Den Heijer,Lara Tucha,Yvonne Groen,Anselm B M Fuermaier,Eddy A Van Der Zee,Oliver Tucha,Marieke J G Van Heuvelen

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140665

Anne E Den Heijer, Lara Tucha + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0140665

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Abstract

ObjectivesWhole Body Vibration (WBV) is a passive exercise method known to have beneficial effects on various physical measures. Studies on adults furthermore demonstrated beneficial effects of WBV treatment on cognition (e.g. inhibition). The present study replicated these findings in healthy children and examined acute effects of WBV treatment on inhibition.MethodsFifty-five healthy children (aged 8–13) participated in this within-subject design study. WBV treatment was applied by having the children sit on a chair mounted to a vibrating platform. After each condition (vibration vs. non-vibration), inhibition was measured by using the Stroop Color-Word Interference Test. Repeated measures analyses were applied in order to explore the effects of WBV treatment on inhibition, and correlations were computed between the treatment effect and participant characteristics in order to explore individual differences in treatment sensitivity.ResultsThree-minute WBV treatments had significant beneficial effects on inhibition in this sample of healthy children. Especially the repeated application (three times) of WBV treatment appeared beneficial for cognition. Stronger WBV treatment effects were correlated with higher intelligence and younger age, but not with symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that especially repeated WBV treatment improves inhibition in healthy children. As this cognitive function is often impaired in children with developmental disorders (e.g. ADHD), future studies should further explore the effects, working mechanism and potential applicability of WBV treatment for this target group.

Highlights

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) can be defined as a passive exercise training method that exposes the whole body to low frequency environmental vibration [1]
The repeated application of WBV treatment appeared beneficial for cognition
Stronger WBV treatment effects were correlated with higher intelligence and younger age, but not with symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Summary

Introduction

Whole Body Vibration (WBV) can be defined as a passive exercise training method that exposes the whole body to low frequency environmental vibration [1]. Performing dynamic exercises in combination with WBV is a well-known sports / fitness practice, but the here described passive application is realized by holding static poses during the vibration exposure [1]. The WBV is achieved by standing or sitting on an apparatus that creates the environmental vibration. This kind of application of WBV can be regarded as passive physical exercise because the body is moving (reflexive muscle contractions) without active performance. The known physical and physiological effects of WBV resemble those of active exercise, and include increased balance, mobility, posture control, oxygen uptake, heart rate, blood pressure, blood flow and muscle strength in healthy adults [2,3,4,5,6]. Studies investigating the effectiveness of WBV for the improvement of physical fitness and the musculoskeletal system in children with physical/muscular disabilities (e.g. Duchenne muscular dystrophy) stressed that WBV is a safe training method for children [10,11,12]

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