Clinical trial NCT04716582: The Effect of Different Ways of Sitting on Cognitive Performance and Muscle Activity
Official title: The Effect of Different Ways of Sitting on Cognitive Performance and Muscle Activity
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Phase: NA
Conditions: Sedentary Behavior
Light Intensity Physical Activity
Keywords: sedentary behavior
light physical activity
executive function
active sitting
Lead sponsor: Maastricht University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2021-01-20
Enrollment: 21
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 30
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: CROSSOVER
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: Academic educations concurs with a lot of sitting. Studies have shown that prolonged sitting not only has disruptive effects on physical health, but also influence mental health and cognition negatively. For physical health evidence grows that short light intense interruptions of sitting time effectively counterbalance the impact of prolonged sitting. It is not clear of light intense physical activity breaks have a similar positive effect on cognitive performance. Also, it is unclear whether cognitive loading might be able to compensate the impact of prolonged sitting.This study compares the effects of uninterrupted sitting with or without cognitive loading and interrupted sitting on cognitive functioning; muscle activation of leg and trunk muscles under various modes of sitting with walking, in order to calibrate the physical impact of different sitting modes.

Detailed description: healthy university students will attend three separate intervention visits with 6-days (no more than 14 days) washout in between: 1) uninterrupted sitting (SIT); 2) uninterrupted sitting with a cognitive task (COGN); 3) sitting interrupted by light physical activity (INTERRUPT). For the SIT and INTERRUPT conditions, subjects watch a series of documentaries while sitting. In the COGN condition, while sitting, participants undergo the online GED test as cognitive load. Four cognitive tests (D2 test, stroop test, trail making test and 2-BACK test) and mood states will be performed before and after each intervention. On a separate day, using surface electromyography, activations of major leg and trunk muscles of sitting on chair, active and passive sitting on a yoga ball and walking were assessed.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* age 18-30 years
* BMI between 18-28
* steady dietary habits
* generally healthy
* Female on contraceptive pills/Male

Exclusion Criteria:

* High score (score: 11-21) in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

Primary outcomes:
measure: Cognitive processes as assessed using Stroop test
timeFrame: change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: Cognitive processes as assessed using D2 attention test
timeFrame: change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: Cognitive processes as assessed using N back test
timeFrame: change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: Cognitive processes as assessed using Trail making test
timeFrame: change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
Secondary outcomes:
measure: mood status assessed by tension score
timeFrame: change from baseline after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: mood status assessed by anger score
timeFrame: change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: mood status assessed by depression score
timeFrame: change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: mood status assessed by vigor score
timeFrame: change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: mood status assessed by esteem-related effect score
timeFrame: change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: mood status assessed by confusion score
timeFrame: change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: mood status assessed by fatigue score
timeFrame: change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: mood status assessed by total mood level score
timeFrame: change from baseline all mood outcomes after 4 hour intervention on day1, day8, day16
measure: muscle activity
timeFrame: recording 5 minutes' muscle activity for each sitting posture, average RMS will be collected.it will be performed on another experiment day.
measure: discomfort level
timeFrame: report discomfort level immediately after each sitting condition(each sitting posture lasts 5 minutes).it will be performed on another experiment day.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Maastricht
country: Netherlands
facility: Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences
state: Limburg
Study officials:
affiliation: Maastricht University
name: Hans HCM Savelberg, PhD
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References: