Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

Change search
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf
Short, frequent physical activity breaks improve working memory while preserving cerebral blood flow in adolescents during prolonged sitting - AbbaH teen, a randomized crossover trial.
Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, Department of Physical Activity and Health. (Fysisk aktivitet och hjärnhälsa)ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8079-0596
Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, Department of Physical Activity and Health. Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Nursing, Health promotion among children and youth, Karolinska Insitutet, Stockholm, Sweden. (Fysisk aktivitet och hjärnhälsa)ORCID iD: 0000-0001-6058-4982
Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, Department of Physiology, Nutrition and Biomechanics. Fysisk aktivitet och hjärnhälsa.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-7456-8606
Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, Department of Physical Activity and Health. (Fysisk aktivitet och hjärnhälsa)ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9526-2967
Show others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: BMC Public Health, E-ISSN 1471-2458, Vol. 24, no 1, article id 2090Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

PURPOSE: Physical activity (PA) breaks during school lessons have been suggested as a promising strategy to improve working memory performance in children and adolescents. There is a lack of studies investigating the underlying physiological mechanisms of PA on cognition, especially among adolescents. This study aimed to investigate the effects of different types of short frequent PA on adolescents' cognitive task-related changes in cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and working memory performance compared to prolonged sitting.

METHODS: In this randomized crossover study, adolescents visited the laboratory on three different occasions for 80-minute sessions of prolonged sitting interrupted by four breaks for three minutes of simple resistance training (SRA), step-up at a pre-determined pace (STEP), or remaining seated (SOCIAL). Before and after each session, cognitive task-related changes in cerebral blood flow (oxygenated-hemoglobin, Oxy-Hb) during working memory tasks (1-, 2-, 3-back tests) were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy in the PFC. Accuracy and reaction time were derived from the working memory tasks. Linear mixed-effect models were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS: A total of 17 students participated (mean age 13.6 years, 11 girls). Significant time x condition interactions were noted for Oxy-Hb in the most demanding working memory task (3-back), with a decrease following prolonged sitting in the SOCIAL condition compared to both the SRA (β 0.18, 95% CI 0.12, 0.24) and the STEP (β 0.11, 95% CI 0.05, 0.17). This was observed in parallel with improvements in reaction time following SRA (β -30.11, 95% CI -59.08, -1.13) and STEP (β -34.29, 95% CI -69.22, 0.63) although this was only significant for the SRA and no improvements in the SOCIAL condition.

CONCLUSION: We found that short frequent PA breaks during prolonged sitting among adolescents can prevent the decrease in cognitive task-related changes in cerebral blood flow that occur following prolonged sitting. This was observed simultaneously with improvements in working memory, indicating that changes in cerebral blood flow could be one factor explaining the effects on working memory. Future studies should investigate the efficacy of implementing these PA breaks in schools.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Retrospectively registered on 21/09/2020, ClinicalTrial (NCT04552626).

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
BioMed Central (BMC), 2024. Vol. 24, no 1, article id 2090
Keywords [en]
Academic performance, Adolescents, Cerebrovascular circulation, Cognition, Physical activity, Brain health
Keywords [sv]
epabs, e-pabs, hjärnhälsa
National Category
Neurosciences Psychology Sport and Fitness Sciences
Research subject
Medicine/Technology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:gih:diva-8321DOI: 10.1186/s12889-024-19306-yISI: 001283385800001PubMedID: 39095724Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85200336339OAI: oai:DiVA.org:gih-8321DiVA, id: diva2:1893843
Part of project
E-PABS - a centre of Excellence in Physical Activity, healthy Brain functions and Sustainability, Knowledge FoundationPhysical Activity for Healthy Brain Functions in School Youth, Knowledge Foundation, Skandias Stiftelse Idéer för livet
Note

Projektet finansierat av COOP, Skandia, Skanska, IKEA, Generation PEP, Konsumentföreningen i Stockholm.

Available from: 2024-08-30 Created: 2024-08-30 Last updated: 2025-02-11
In thesis
1. Physical Activity, Fitness, Screen Time, and Healthy Brain Functions in Adolescents
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Physical Activity, Fitness, Screen Time, and Healthy Brain Functions in Adolescents
2024 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

There is public health concern regarding physical activity levels and sedentary behavior among adolescents. Only a small proportion meet the daily physical activity recommendations, while most spend most of their time being sedentary. There is a lack of studies examining the associations between physical activity, fitness, sedentary behaviors, and healthy brain functions, particularly in adolescents while using robust measures. The aim of this thesis was, therefore, to investigate how accelerometer-measured physical activity, sedentary time, sports participation, fitness, and screen time were associated with healthy brain functions (mental health, cognitive, and academic performance), in a cohort of Swedish adolescents. Further, to examine how physiological factors underpinning healthy brain functions change acutely when prolonged sitting is interrupted with physical activity breaks.

Paper I had a cross-sectional design and examined how accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary time, sports participation, and screen time were associated with mental health (anxiety and health-related quality of life) in 1139 Swedish adolescents (mean age 13.4). The results showed that adolescents who engaged in high levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, particularly during leisure time, reported better mental health. In contrast, those with high levels of sedentary time or screen time during leisure time reported poor mental health.

In Paper II, cross-sectional associations between device-measured physical activity, fitness, and cognitive or academic performance were studied in the same cohort (n=1139, mean age 13.4). The results showed that adolescents with high fitness levels had better cognitive performance (in working memory and episodic memory tasks) and better academic performance (grades in math and Swedish). No significant association between accelerometer-measured physical activity and cognitive or academic performance was found. 

Paper IV investigated longitudinal associations in the same cohort (n=1139). The aim was to study how accelerometer-measured physical activity, sports participation, fitness, and screen time at baseline (mean age 13.4) were associated with academic performance three years later (mean age 16.0). The results showed that higher fitness levels or low screen time on weekdays at age 13 were associated with higher school grades three years later. No significant associations between accelerometer-measured physical activity or sports participation at age 13 and academic performance three years later were found. 

Paper III was based on an acute intervention study, the adolescents (n=17, mean age 13.6 years) performed three 80-minute lab sessions in randomized order. The sessions consisted of 80 minutes of prolonged sitting, with three-minute breaks every 17th minutes (either simple resistance activities, SRA, step-up exercise, STEP, or remain seated, SOCIAL). Changes in cerebral blood flow (oxygenated hemoglobin, Oxy-Hb, in the prefrontal cortex) were assessed before and after each session, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy during a working memory task. The results showed that following the physical activity breaks, cognitive performance improved during the most difficult cognitive task, these improvements were seen in parallel with an increase in Oxy-Hb in the prefrontal cortex. In contrast, no cognitive improvements were observed during the most difficult task after the prolonged sitting condition (SOCIAL), and Oxy-Hb levels significantly decreased.

In conclusion, device-measured physical activity was associated with some aspects of healthy brain function (mental health), but not all (cognitive and academic performance). However, incorporating physical activity breaks during prolonged periods of sitting seems to benefit cognitive performance, potentially through improved cerebral blood flow. The findings also suggest that adolescents with low levels of physical activity or high screen time were more likely to experience poor mental health. Furthermore, adolescents with high screen time at age 13 tended to have lower school grades three years later, at the end of compulsory school. These findings contribute to the current understanding of how physical activity, fitness, and sedentary behaviors relate to healthy brain function in adolescents and are of importance to researchers, parents, and professionals working with this age group.

 

Abstract [sv]

Populärvetenskaplig sammanfattning

Det övergripande målet med denna avhandling var att undersöka samband mellan accelerometer-mätt fysisk aktivitet, stillasittande, idrottsdeltagande, kondition och skärmtid och hjärnhälsa (psykisk hälsa, kognition och skolbetyg) hos 1139 svenska skolungdomar i början på högstadiet (årskurs 7). Ungdomarna följdes även upp i slutet av grundskolan (årskurs 9). Dessutom syftade avhandlingen till att undersöka hur fysiologiska faktorer som påverkar hjärnhälsa förändras när man bryter långa perioder av stillasittande med korta rörelsepauser, och om dessa pauser kan gynna kognitiv prestation.

Avhandlingen visade att de ungdomar som var fysiskt aktiva, särskilt under fritiden, rapporterade bättre psykisk hälsa, medan de som hade mycket stillasittande eller hög skärmtid rapporterade sämre psykisk hälsa (artikel I). Dessutom hade ungdomar med högre kondition bättre kognition och högre betyg i matte och svenska. Dock fanns inget samband mellan fysisk aktivitet och kognition eller skolbetyg (artikel II).

När ungdomarna följdes upp i årskurs 9 visade resultaten att de med hög kondition eller låg skärmtid på vardagarna i årskurs 7 hade större sannolikhet att få godkända skolbetyg i slutet på grundskolan. Däremot fanns det inga samband mellan fysisk aktivitet, idrottsdeltagande eller skärmtid på helgen i årskurs 7 och betyg tre år senare.

I en mindre labbstudie undersöktes effekterna av att bryta upp långvarigt stillasittande med korta rörelsepauser. Resultaten visade att de korta rörelsepauserna förbättrade kognitionen och ökade syresättningen i blodet i hjärnans främre pannlob.

Sammanfattningsvis visade avhandlingen att det fanns samband mellan fysisk aktivitet och vissa aspekter av hjärnhälsa, som psykisk hälsa, men inte kognition och skolbetyg. Däremot visade resultaten att rörelsepauser som bryter upp långvarigt stillasittande kan gynna kognitionen, troligen genom ökad syresättning i hjärnan.

Vidare visade resultaten att det är vanligare att ungdomar med sämre psykisk hälsa också hade låg fysisk aktivitet och/eller hög skärmtid. Dessutom hade ungdomar med hög kondition och låg skärmtid i årskurs 7 bättre skolbetyg i slutet av grundskolan. Avhandlingens resultat är viktiga för forskare, samhällsaktörer, föräldrar och yrkesverk-samma som arbetar med skolungdomar.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH, 2024. p. 163 s.
Series
Avhandlingsserie för Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan ; 35
Keywords
Exercise, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Academic performance, Cognition, Adolescent, Mental health, Cerebrovascular circulation, Brain health., Epabs, E-pabs, hjärnhälsa
National Category
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Research subject
Medicine/Technology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:gih:diva-8376 (URN)978-91-988127-6-3 (ISBN)
Public defence
2024-12-06, Aulan, Lidingövägen 1, Stockholm, 09:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2024-11-04 Created: 2024-11-04 Last updated: 2024-12-05Bibliographically approved

Open Access in DiVA

fulltext(3252 kB)56 downloads
File information
File name FULLTEXT01.pdfFile size 3252 kBChecksum SHA-512
252e5a53aa2b1363680ab0f9ebf5bb156cdb1c34d67fbcec3cbd75c2ad41a5c81304d975e76c4bddc40773fc138fed68f5322e736cadb814f6dfa385b6caeec7
Type fulltextMimetype application/pdf

Other links

Publisher's full textPubMedScopus

Authority records

Kjellenberg, KarinEkblom, ÖrjanTarassova, OlgaFernström, MariaNyberg, GiselaEkblom, MariaHelgadóttir, BjörgHeiland, Emerald G.

Search in DiVA

By author/editor
Kjellenberg, KarinEkblom, ÖrjanTarassova, OlgaFernström, MariaNyberg, GiselaEkblom, MariaHelgadóttir, BjörgHeiland, Emerald G.
By organisation
Department of Physical Activity and HealthDepartment of Physiology, Nutrition and Biomechanics
In the same journal
BMC Public Health
NeurosciencesPsychologySport and Fitness Sciences

Search outside of DiVA

GoogleGoogle Scholar
Total: 56 downloads
The number of downloads is the sum of all downloads of full texts. It may include eg previous versions that are now no longer available

doi
pubmed
urn-nbn

Altmetric score

doi
pubmed
urn-nbn
Total: 310 hits
CiteExportLink to record
Permanent link

Direct link
Cite
Citation style
  • apa
  • ieee
  • modern-language-association-8th-edition
  • vancouver
  • Other style
More styles
Language
  • de-DE
  • en-GB
  • en-US
  • fi-FI
  • nn-NO
  • nn-NB
  • sv-SE
  • Other locale
More languages
Output format
  • html
  • text
  • asciidoc
  • rtf