Nonlinear Associations of Accelerometer-Based Sedentary Time With Cognitive Functions in the UK Biobank

Silvio Maltagliati, Daniel H Aslan, M Katherine Sayre, Pradyumna K Bharadwaj, Madeline Ally, Mark H C Lai, Rand R Wilcox, Yann C Klimentidis, Gene E Alexander and David A Raichlen

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2025, vol. 80, issue 7, 441-454

Abstract: ObjectivesDevice-based sedentary time shows a nonlinear association with incident dementia among older adults. However, associations between sedentary time and cognitive performance have been inconsistent. We examined potential nonlinear associations between sedentary time and performance on cognitive tests among older adults.MethodsWe used data from the UK Biobank and included 32,875 adults aged 60–79. Sedentary time was estimated from a machine learning–based analysis of 1 week of wrist-worn accelerometer data. The primary outcomes were performance on 6 cognitive tests completed online (fluid intelligence test, short-term numeric memory test, symbol substitution test, visual-spatial memory test, alphanumeric, and numeric trail making tests), as well as a composite cognitive score.ResultsExcept for the visual-spatial memory test, nonlinear approaches provided a better fit than linear methods to model the associations of sedentary time with other cognitive outcomes. For these outcomes, segmented regression models showed that, although effect sizes were small, higher sedentary time was associated with better cognitive performance up to a threshold of sedentary time that varied from 9.7 to 12.3 hr per day. Above this threshold, the association between sedentary time and cognitive performance was attenuated toward the null or became negative (for the symbol substitution test only).DiscussionAs accounted by our nonlinear approach, the association between sedentary time and cognitive performance may shift from positive to null or negative above a 10–12-hr threshold among older adults. A combination of device-based and self-report assessments of sedentary behavior is needed to better understand these nonlinear associations.

Keywords: Aging; Brain; Cognition; Epidemiology; Sitting time (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbaf071 (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:oup:geronb:v:80:y:2025:i:7:p:441-454.

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://academic.oup.com/journals

Access Statistics for this article

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B is currently edited by Psychological Sciences - S. Duke Han, PhD and Social Sciences - Jessica A Kelley, PhD, FGSA

More articles in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B from The Gerontological Society of America Oxford University Press, Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Oxford University Press ().