Are acute sitting-induced changes in inflammation and cerebrovascular function related to impaired mood and cognition?

Sophie E Carter; Richard Draijer; Claire E Stewart; Andy D Moss; Dick H J Thijssen; Nicola D Hopkins

doi:10.1007/s11332-021-00753-8

Are acute sitting-induced changes in inflammation and cerebrovascular function related to impaired mood and cognition?

Sport Sci Health. 2021;17(3):753-762. doi: 10.1007/s11332-021-00753-8. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Authors

Sophie E Carter^{1

2}, Richard Draijer³, Claire E Stewart¹, Andy D Moss¹, Dick H J Thijssen^{1

4}, Nicola D Hopkins¹

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.
² School of Science, Technology and Health, York St John University, Nestlé Rowntree Park Sports Campus, Haxby Road, York, YO31 8TA UK.
³ Unilever Foods Innovation Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
⁴ Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Department of Physiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

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 inflammation and impairs cerebrovascular function, this study investigated the hypothesis that these sitting-induced changes are related to impaired mood and cognition.

Methods: Twenty-five 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 inflammation, middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity (MCAv), cerebrovascular carbon dioxide reactivity (CVR), dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA), cognitive performance and mood (positive and negative affect, 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 affect (∆-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 significant changes in interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-alpha, von Willebrand factor, CVR or cognitive performance were observed (p > 0.05). The observed changes in inflammation and cerebrovascular function were not related to changes in mood (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: Alterations in inflammation 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: Cerebral autoregulation; Cerebral blood flow; Sedentary behaviour; Sitting.