Sedentary Behavior
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to explore the impact of a 15-minute exercise break on brain function and cognitive performance in a simulated classroom setting. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. How do short exercise breaks affect executive function in college students? 2. What changes occur in brain connectivity and microcirculation after these exercise breaks? Participants were college students who engaged in sessions of continuous sitting or sitting interspersed with exercise. The study used cognitive tasks and brain imaging techniques to measure the effects. The findings reveal improvements in cognitive performance and brain function, suggesting that short exercise breaks are beneficial in educational contexts.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALVigorous-intensity cycling
Vigorous-intensity cycling on Ergoline Ergoselect 100
BEHAVIORALUninterrupted sitting
Uninterrupted sitting in a quiet room
BEHAVIORALModerate-intensity cycling
Moderate-intensity cycling on Ergoline Ergoselect 100
Sponsors
Liye Zou
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
The study used a within-participant cross-over design with pre-and post-test comparisons. Participants completed the three following experimental conditions in pseudo-counterbalanced (cannot be completely counterbalanced given that an odd number of participants - hence, was pseudo-counterbalanced) order (odd number of participants) with at least a 7-day washout period between conditions: (i) 115-minute uninterrupted sitting \[control\]; (ii) 50-minute sitting + 15-minute moderate-intensity cycling + 50-minute sitting \[experimental condition 1\]; (iii) 50-minute sitting + 15-minute vigorous-intensity cycling + 50-minute sitting \[experimental condition 2\]. A familiarization session was completed about three days before the experiment started, during which participants were familiarized with the cognitive assessment and cycling protocols.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 25 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
-right-handed (how was handedness assessed; i.e., What hand do you write with?) with normal or corrected-to-normal vision and normal color vision
Exclusion criteria
-reported a history of cardiovascular, metabolic, gastrointestinal, neurological, or psychiatric disorders, medical conditions requiring medical care, substance addiction, strict diets (e.g., low- carbohydrate and Mediterranean diet), pregnancy, or lactation.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive function | 3 weeks | This primary outcome measure is assessed by the modified dual-task Stroop paradigm. |
| Retinal Vessel Diameter | 3 weeks | Retinal Vessel Diameter is assessed by the fully automated fundus camera. |
| Brain Connectivity | 3 weeks | Brain connectivity is assessed by the NIRSport2 device |
Countries
China
Contacts
Primary ContactLiye Zou, Dr.
Outcome results
None listed