Cargando…

Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks

Standing desks have proven to be effective and viable solutions to combat sedentary behavior among children during the school day in studies around the world. However, little is known regarding the potential of such interventions on cognitive outcomes in children over time. The purpose of this pilot...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Mehta, Ranjana K., Shortz, Ashley E., Benden, Mark E.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4730450/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26703700
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13010059
_version_ 1782412402910822400
author Mehta, Ranjana K.
Shortz, Ashley E.
Benden, Mark E.
author_facet Mehta, Ranjana K.
Shortz, Ashley E.
Benden, Mark E.
author_sort Mehta, Ranjana K.
collection PubMed
description Standing desks have proven to be effective and viable solutions to combat sedentary behavior among children during the school day in studies around the world. However, little is known regarding the potential of such interventions on cognitive outcomes in children over time. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the neurocognitive benefits, i.e., improvements in executive functioning and working memory, of stand-biased desks and explore any associated changes in frontal brain function. 34 freshman high school students were recruited for neurocognitive testing at two time points during the school year: (1) in the fall semester and (2) in the spring semester (after 27.57 (1.63) weeks of continued exposure). Executive function and working memory was evaluated using a computerized neurocognitive test battery, and brain activation patterns of the prefrontal cortex were obtained using functional near infrared spectroscopy. Continued utilization of the stand-biased desks was associated with significant improvements in executive function and working memory capabilities. Changes in corresponding brain activation patterns were also observed. These findings provide the first preliminary evidence on the neurocognitive benefits of standing desks, which to date have focused largely on energy expenditure. Findings obtained here can drive future research with larger samples and multiple schools, with comparison groups that may in turn implicate the importance of stand-biased desks, as simple environmental changes in classrooms, on enhancing children’s cognitive functioning that drive their cognitive development and impact educational outcomes.
format Online
Article
Text
id pubmed-4730450
institution National Center for Biotechnology Information
language English
publishDate 2015
publisher MDPI
record_format MEDLINE/PubMed
spelling pubmed-47304502016-02-11 Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks Mehta, Ranjana K. Shortz, Ashley E. Benden, Mark E. Int J Environ Res Public Health Article Standing desks have proven to be effective and viable solutions to combat sedentary behavior among children during the school day in studies around the world. However, little is known regarding the potential of such interventions on cognitive outcomes in children over time. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the neurocognitive benefits, i.e., improvements in executive functioning and working memory, of stand-biased desks and explore any associated changes in frontal brain function. 34 freshman high school students were recruited for neurocognitive testing at two time points during the school year: (1) in the fall semester and (2) in the spring semester (after 27.57 (1.63) weeks of continued exposure). Executive function and working memory was evaluated using a computerized neurocognitive test battery, and brain activation patterns of the prefrontal cortex were obtained using functional near infrared spectroscopy. Continued utilization of the stand-biased desks was associated with significant improvements in executive function and working memory capabilities. Changes in corresponding brain activation patterns were also observed. These findings provide the first preliminary evidence on the neurocognitive benefits of standing desks, which to date have focused largely on energy expenditure. Findings obtained here can drive future research with larger samples and multiple schools, with comparison groups that may in turn implicate the importance of stand-biased desks, as simple environmental changes in classrooms, on enhancing children’s cognitive functioning that drive their cognitive development and impact educational outcomes. MDPI 2015-12-22 2016-01 /pmc/articles/PMC4730450/ /pubmed/26703700 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13010059 Text en © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Mehta, Ranjana K.
Shortz, Ashley E.
Benden, Mark E.
Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks
title Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks
title_full Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks
title_fullStr Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks
title_full_unstemmed Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks
title_short Standing Up for Learning: A Pilot Investigation on the Neurocognitive Benefits of Stand-Biased School Desks
title_sort standing up for learning: a pilot investigation on the neurocognitive benefits of stand-biased school desks
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4730450/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26703700
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13010059
work_keys_str_mv AT mehtaranjanak standingupforlearningapilotinvestigationontheneurocognitivebenefitsofstandbiasedschooldesks
AT shortzashleye standingupforlearningapilotinvestigationontheneurocognitivebenefitsofstandbiasedschooldesks
AT bendenmarke standingupforlearningapilotinvestigationontheneurocognitivebenefitsofstandbiasedschooldesks