35 participants aged from 45 to 75 were recruited, given individual high resolution MRI scans, and asked about physical activity levels and hours per day spent sitting over the prior week. Sedentary behavior was found to be a predictor of thinning of the medial temporal lobe and physical activity even at high levels will not offset harmful effects of extended periods of sitting.
Findings did not prove too much sitting causes thinner brain structures, rather that more hours spent sitting sedentary are associated with thinner regions. Time spent sitting was focused on, but researchers did not take into consideration if breaks were taken during that time.
There are plans to follow a larger group of participants for a longer duration to determine if sitting causes thinning and the roles if any that race, weight, and age may have in relation.
Thinning of the medial temporal lobe can often be a precursor to dementia and cognitive decline. Decreasing sedentary behaviours may be a target for interventions to improve brain health in patients at risk for conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease
