Carter, Sophie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2815-7360, Draijer, Richard, Stewart, Claire, Moss, Andy, Thijssen, Dick and Hopkins, Nicola (2021) Are acute sitting‑induced changes in inflammation and cerebrovascular function related to impaired mood and cognition? Sport Sciences for Health, 17. pp. 753-762.

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Abstract

Purpose Sedentary behaviour is negatively associated with mood and cognition, yet how acute sitting contributes to these
overall associations is unknown. Since sitting heightens infammation and impairs cerebrovascular function, this study
investigated the hypothesis that these sitting-induced changes are related to impaired mood and cognition.
Methods Twenty-fve healthy desk workers (18 male, 28.3±7.5 years, BMI: 24.2±3.3 kg∙m−2) were recruited. During laboratory visit one, participants were familiarised with cognitive performance tests measuring executive function, attention and
working memory. During laboratory visit two, participants completed 6 h of continuous, uninterrupted sitting. At baseline
and after 6 h, serum markers of infammation, middle cerebral artery blood fow velocity (MCAv), cerebrovascular carbon
dioxide reactivity (CVR), dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA), cognitive performance and mood (positive and negative
afect, alert, contented and calm) were assessed. Data were analysed using paired-samples t tests and correlation analyses.
Results Following sitting, C-reactive protein (∆-1.0 µg/ml) and tissue plasminogen activator (∆-360.4 pg/ml) decreased
(p<0.05), MCAv reduced (∆-2.9 cm∙s−1, p=0.012) and normalised gain increased in the very low frequency range, indicating impaired CA (∆ +0.22%·mmHg−1, p=0.016). Positive afect (∆-4.6, p<0.001), and alert (∆-10.6 p=0.002) and
contented (∆-7.4, p=0.006) mood states also decreased following sitting. No signifcant changes in interleukin-6, tumour
necrosis factor-alpha, von Willebrand factor, CVR or cognitive performance were observed (p>0.05). The observed changes
in infammation and cerebrovascular function were not related to changes in mood (p>0.05).
Conclusion Alterations in infammation or cerebrovascular function following six hours of prolonged, uninterrupted sitting
are not related to the observed reductions in mood, indicating other mechanisms underlie the relationship between acute
sitting and mood disturbances.
Keywords Sedentary behaviour · Sitting · Cerebral blood fow · Cerebral autoregulation

Item Type:	Article
Status:	Published
DOI:	10.1007/s11332-021-00753-8
Subjects:	Q Science > QP Physiology
School/Department:	School of Science, Technology and Health
URI:	https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/5083

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