Activity Breaks for Brain Health in Adolescents

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Healthy Adolescents
• Interventions: Behavioral: Prolonged sitting with simple resistance activity breaks; Behavioral: Prolonged sitting (social breaks); Behavioral: Prolonged sitting with step-up exercise break

• Registration Number: NCT04552626
• Lead Sponsor: The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences

Brief Summary

The main aim for this study is to investigate to what extent physical activity of moderate or low intensity, relative to prolonged inactivity, may acutely alter neural activity-related prefrontal cortex oxygenated hemoglobin during a cognitive demanding task in 13- 15 year-old adolescents. The study is primarily focused on investigating these effects in ecologically valid conditions, i.e. activity patterns that closely resemble a typical day in school and using activity modes that are suitable in a school setting.

Detailed Description

The study will be a controlled crossover experimental trial with three conditions. Each participant will complete each of the three experimental conditions, separated by a washout period of minimum four days. Physical activity behaviours and sleep will be monitored the day/night before each test day. The first visit will be a familiarization session for the collection of demographic data, fitness testing, and acquaintance with experimental procedures. On the second, third, and fourth visits, participants will undergo three different standardized 80-minutes interventions in a randomized order. Before and immediately after the 80-minutes interventions, blood pressure, augmentation index, and cerebral hemodynamic response of the prefrontal cortex during standardized cognitive tasks (nback test) will be measured. Additionally, saliva samples will be collected the morning of the test day, and before and after the interventions.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2020-09-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-09-10
• Study Start: 2020-09-17
• Study First Posted: 2020-09-17
• Primary Completion: 2020-12-16
• Study Completion: 2020-12-16
• Status Verified: 2021-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-02-23
• Last Update Posted: 2021-02-24

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 17

Inclusion Criteria

Not provided

Exclusion Criteria

• Ongoing medication that can affect central circulation or brain circulation
• Ongoing infection
• Inability to apprehend information about the study or to perform the tests

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Prolonged sitting with simple resistance activity breaks	Prolonged sitting with simple resistance activity breaks	-
Prolonged sitting (social breaks)	Prolonged sitting (social breaks)	-
Prolonged sitting with step-up exercise break	Prolonged sitting with step-up exercise break	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Changes in cerebral blood flow	before to after 80 minutes intervention	Oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration changes measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Cortisol	morning; before and after 80 minutes intervention	measured from saliva
Mood	at the beginning of the day; before and after 80 minutes intervention	Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) comprised of 20 affect states (10 positive and 10 negative), each affect state scored on a scale going from 1 (very slightly or not at all) to 5 (extremely)
Cognitive performance	before and after 80 minutes intervention	nback cognitive test (time and accuracy)
Augmentation index	before and after 80 minutes intervention	measure of arterial stiffness
Sleepiness	at the beginning of the day; before and after 80 minutes intervention	Karolinska Sleepiness Questionnaire; goes from 1 (extremely alert) to 9 (extremely sleepy)
Alertness	at the beginning of the day; before and after 80 minutes intervention	100mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); range: 'not at all' to 'completely alert'

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH); 🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden