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Completed

NCT Number: NCT04552626

Activity Breaks for Brain Health in Adolescents

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Healthy Adolescents

Age range

13 year–14 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences (GIH)

Stockholm, 114 86, Sweden

About this study

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.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

Prolonged sitting (social breaks)

Behavioral

Participants are required to sit for 80 minutes doing schoolwork, with a toilet break in between. Every twenty minutes participants will have a short social break. Test day begins at 8:00 with pretest measures, followed by the intervention at about 9:00, which will end around 12:00, with subsequent posttest measures.

Prolonged sitting with step-up exercise break

Behavioral

Participants are required to sit for 80 minutes doing schoolwork, with a toilet break in between. Every twenty minutes participants will have a physical activity break, where they will perform a simple moderate-intensity step-up exercise for three minutes at a predetermined pace. Test day begins at 8:00 with pretest measures, followed by the intervention at about 9:30, which will end around 12:00, with subsequent posttest measures.

Prolonged sitting with simple resistance activity breaks

Behavioral

Participants are required to sit for 80 minutes doing schoolwork, with a toilet break in between. Every twenty minutes participants will have a physical activity break, where they will perform simple resistance activities following a video for about three minutes. Test day begins at 8:00 with pretest measures, followed by the intervention at about 9:30, which will end around 12:00, with subsequent posttest measures.

Primary outcomes

  1. Changes in cerebral blood flow

    Time frame: before to after 80 minutes intervention

    Oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration changes measured with functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Secondary outcomes

  1. Cognitive performance

    Time frame: before and after 80 minutes intervention

    nback cognitive test (time and accuracy)

  2. Augmentation index

    Time frame: before and after 80 minutes intervention

    measure of arterial stiffness

  3. Cortisol

    Time frame: morning; before and after 80 minutes intervention

    measured from saliva

  4. Mood

    Time frame: 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)

  5. Sleepiness

    Time frame: at the beginning of the day; before and after 80 minutes intervention

    Karolinska Sleepiness Questionnaire; goes from 1 (extremely alert) to 9 (extremely sleepy)

  6. Alertness

    Time frame: at the beginning of the day; before and after 80 minutes intervention

    100mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS); range: 'not at all' to 'completely alert'

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

The Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences

Other

Collaborators

  • COOP
  • Generation PEP
  • IKEA
  • Konsumentföreningen Stockholm
  • Skandia
  • The Knowledge Foundation

Registry information

Official study title

Acute Effects From Prolonged Inactivity and Physical Activity Interventions on Cortical Blood Flow and Arterials Stiffness in School-aged Adolescents.

Acronym: ABBaH teens

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Sep 17, 2020
Registry last updated
Feb 24, 2021

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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