A Sedentary Lifestyle and Cognitive Function

Abstract

Sedentary behaviour is hypothesized to be a potential target in its own right—the rising numbers of persons with cognitive impairment highlight the urgency to understand these risk factors better. Higher sedentary behaviour levels are associated with reduced global cognitive functioning and slower cognitive decline, especially in older persons.  Neuropsychological evaluations can be categorized according to the domain of thought being tested. The domains can be considered such as  Global cognition (e.g., the Mini-Mental State Examination), concentration (sustained alertness, including the ability to process information quickly), executive function (a collection of cognitive mechanisms responsible for initiating and tracking goal-oriented behaviours), memory (storing and retrieving goal-oriented behaviours), and working memory (short-term manipulation of information encountered). A sedentary activity can occur with subsequent factors such as depression, the habit of drinking and smoking, social distancing and occupation, sleep disruption, disease history, and eventually lead to cognitive impairment. Although preliminary evidence indicates that cognitive function is associated with a sedentary activity, it is still uncertain of this relationship's extent.