ArticleAlzheimer's research & therapy2020
The short-term effects of sedentary behaviour on cerebral hemodynamics and cognitive performance in older adults: a cross-over design on the potential impact of mental and/or physical activity.
Article in Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
34 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effect of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity on executive function: a three-level meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2026Pooled it
- Acute effects of physical activity breaking up sedentary behavior on cognitive function, biological mechanisms, and practical recommendations: a systematic review.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Total Sedentary Time and Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Sports medicine - open · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- The Impact of Cocoa Flavanols in Modulating Resting Cerebral Blood Flow During Prolonged Sitting in Healthy Young and Older Adults.Nutrients · 2025Trial
- Functional reserve mitigates cognitive-motor dual-task costs in older adults: insights from age, cohort, and behavioural strategies.European review of aging and physical activity : official journal of the European Group for Research into Elderly and Physical Activity · 2026Article
- Effects of 5-Minute Light-Intensity Physical Activity Breaks (Sit-Cycling and Stand-Twisting) on Cognitive Function, Sleepiness, and Back Pain in Physically Inactive University Students: Protocol for a Mixed-Design Laboratory Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Exercise snacks and cognitive health in older adults: mechanisms, implementation, and public health relevance.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Exercise timing as a potential temporal regulator of neurolymphatic physiology in neurodegenerative proteinopathies: a mechanistic framework.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Review
- Increased sedentary behavior is associated with neurodegeneration and worse cognition in older adults over a 7-year period despite high levels of physical activity.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Article
- Accelerometer-derived "weekend warrior" physical activity, sedentary behavior, and risk of dementia.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2025Article
- Prolonged sitting is not associated with altered shear-mediated dilation of the internal carotid artery, despite impairing lower limb endothelial function.Physiological reports · 2025Article
- Effect of prolonged sitting on dynamic cerebral autoregulation in the anterior and posterior cerebral circulations.Experimental physiology · 2025Article
- Associations between leisure sedentary behaviors, physical activity, and chronic respiratory diseases: a Mendelian randomization study.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2025Article
- Effects of Physical Exercise on Cerebral Blood Velocity in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Physiology of sedentary behavior.Physiological reviews · 2023Review
- The independent and joint association of accelerometer-measured physical activity and sedentary time with dementia: a cohort study in the UK Biobank.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2023Article
- The Physiological and Molecular Links Between Physical Activity and Brain Health: A Review.Neuroscience insights · 2023Review
- Association between Physical Activity Levels and Brain Volumes in Adults Visiting Radio-Imaging Center of Tertiary Care Hospital.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Social Infrastructure and Street Networks as Critical Infrastructure for Aging Friendly Community Design: Mediating the Effect of Physical Activity.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSedentary behaviour might be a potential risk factor for cognitive decline. However, the short-term effects of sedentary behaviour on (cerebro) vascular and cognitive performance in older people are unknown.
methodsWe used a cross-over design with 22 older adults (78 years, 9 females) to assess the short-term hemodynamic and cognitive effects of three hours uninterrupted sitting and explored if these effects can be counteracted with regular (every 30 min) two-minute walking breaks. In addition, we investigated if low versus high mental activity during the three hours of sitting modified these effects. Before and after each condition, alertness, executive functioning, and working memory were assessed with the Test of Attentional Performance battery. Additionally, cerebral blood flow velocity (Transcranial Doppler) and blood pressure (Finapres) were measured in rest, and during sit-to-stand and CO
resultsNo short-term differences were observed in cognitive performance, cerebral blood flow velocity, baroreflex sensitivity, cerebral autoregulation, or cerebral vasomotor reactivity across time, or between conditions. Blood pressure and cerebrovascular resistance increased over time (8.6 mmHg (5.0;12.1), p < 0.001), and 0.23 in resistance (0.01;0.45), p = 0.04). However, these effects were not mitigated by mental activity or by short walking breaks to interrupt sitting.
conclusionsIn older individuals, three hours of sitting did not influence cognitive performance or cerebral perfusion. However, the sitting period increased blood pressure and cerebrovascular resistance, which are known to negatively impact brain health in the long-term. Importantly, we found that these effects in older individuals cannot be mitigated by higher mental activity and/or regular walking breaks.
trial registrationClinical trial registration URL: https://www.toetsingonline.nl/. Unique identifier: NL64309.091.17. Date of registration: 06-02-2018.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.