Dynamic Office Environments Improve Brain Activity and Attentional Performance Mediated by Increased Motor Activity

Autoren

Diana Henz
Wolfgang I Schöllhorn

DOI

10.3389/fnhum.2019.00121

eISSN

1662-5161

Zeitschrift

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

Online publication date

2019

Status

Published online

Herausgeber

Frontiers Media SA

Herausgeber URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00121

Datum der Datenerfassung

2019

Titel

Dynamic Office Environments Improve Brain Activity and Attentional Performance Mediated by Increased Motor Activity

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

13

Datenquelle: Crossref

Abstract

Current research demonstrates beneficial effects of physical activity on brain functions and cognitive performance. To date, less is known on the effects of gross motor movements that do not fall into the category of sports-related aerobic or anaerobic exercise. In previous studies, we found beneficial effects of dynamic working environments, i.e., environments that encourage movements during cognitive task performance, on cognitive performance and corresponding brain activity. Aim of the present study was to examine the effects of working in a dynamic and a static office environment on attentional and vigilance performance, and on the corresponding electroencephalographic (EEG) brain oscillatory patterns. In a 2-week intervention study, participants worked either in a dynamic or a static office. In each intervention group, 12 subjects performed attentional and vigilance tasks. Spontaneous EEG was measured from 19 electrodes continuosly before, during, and immediately after each experimental condition at the first, and at the last intervention session. Results showed differences in EEG brain activity in the dynamic compared to the static office at the beginning as well as at the end of the intervention. EEG theta power increased in the vigilance task in anterior regions, alpha power in central and parietal regions in the dynamic compared to the static office. Further, increases in beta activity in the attention and vigilance task were shown in frontal and central regions in the dynamic office. Gamma power increased in the attention task in frontal and central regions. After 2 weeks, effects on brain activity increased in the attentional and vigilance task in the dynamic office. Increased theta and alpha oscillations were obtained in anterior areas with higher activity in the beta band in anterior and central areas in the dynamic compared to the static office. EEG oscillatory patterns indicate beneficial effects of dynamic office environments on attentional and vigilance performance that are mediated by increased motor activity. We discuss the obtained patterns of EEG oscillations in terms of the close interrelations between the attentional and the motor system.

Addresses

Institute of Sports Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Media and Sport, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.

Autoren

Diana Henz
Wolfgang I Schöllhorn

DOI

10.3389/fnhum.2019.00121

eISSN

1662-5161

Externe Identifier

PubMed Identifier: 31031610
PubMed Central ID: PMC6473162

Open access

true

ISSN

1662-5161

Zeitschrift

Frontiers in human neuroscience

Sprache

eng

Medium

Electronic-eCollection

Online publication date

2019

Open access status

Open Access

Paginierung

121

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2019

Status

Published

Publisher licence

CC BY

Datum der Datenerfassung

2019

Titel

Dynamic Office Environments Improve Brain Activity and Attentional Performance Mediated by Increased Motor Activity.

Sub types

research-article
Journal Article

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

13

Files

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00121/pdf https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC6473162?pdf=render

Datenquelle: Europe PubMed Central

Abstract

Current research demonstrates beneficial effects of physical activity on brain functions and cognitive performance. To date, less is known on the effects of gross motor movements that do not fall into the category of sports-related aerobic or anaerobic exercise. In previous studies, we found beneficial effects of dynamic working environments, i.e., environments that encourage movements during cognitive task performance, on cognitive performance and corresponding brain activity. Aim of the present study was to examine the effects of working in a dynamic and a static office environment on attentional and vigilance performance, and on the corresponding electroencephalographic (EEG) brain oscillatory patterns. In a 2-week intervention study, participants worked either in a dynamic or a static office. In each intervention group, 12 subjects performed attentional and vigilance tasks. Spontaneous EEG was measured from 19 electrodes continuosly before, during, and immediately after each experimental condition at the first, and at the last intervention session. Results showed differences in EEG brain activity in the dynamic compared to the static office at the beginning as well as at the end of the intervention. EEG theta power increased in the vigilance task in anterior regions, alpha power in central and parietal regions in the dynamic compared to the static office. Further, increases in beta activity in the attention and vigilance task were shown in frontal and central regions in the dynamic office. Gamma power increased in the attention task in frontal and central regions. After 2 weeks, effects on brain activity increased in the attentional and vigilance task in the dynamic office. Increased theta and alpha oscillations were obtained in anterior areas with higher activity in the beta band in anterior and central areas in the dynamic compared to the static office. EEG oscillatory patterns indicate beneficial effects of dynamic office environments on attentional and vigilance performance that are mediated by increased motor activity. We discuss the obtained patterns of EEG oscillations in terms of the close interrelations between the attentional and the motor system.

Date of acceptance

2019

Autoren

Diana Henz
Wolfgang I Schöllhorn

Autoren-URL

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31031610

DOI

10.3389/fnhum.2019.00121

Externe Identifier

PubMed Central ID: PMC6473162

ISSN

1662-5161

Zeitschrift

Front Hum Neurosci

Schlüsselwörter

EEG
dynamic working environment
ergonomics
movement
office

Sprache

eng

Country

Switzerland

Paginierung

121

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2019

Status

Published online

Titel

Dynamic Office Environments Improve Brain Activity and Attentional Performance Mediated by Increased Motor Activity.

Sub types

Journal Article

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

13

Datenquelle: PubMed

Author's licence

CC-BY

Autoren

Diana Henz
Wolfgang I Schöllhorn

Hosting institution

Universitätsbibliothek Mainz

Sammlungen

JGU-Publikationen

Resource version

Published version

URN

urn:nbn:de:hebis:77-publ-590417

DOI

10.3389/fnhum.2019.00121

Funding acknowledgements

DFG, Open Access-Publizieren Universität Mainz / Universitätsmedizin

File(s) embargoed

false

Open access

true

ISSN

1662-5161

Zeitschrift

Frontiers in human neuroscience

Schlüsselwörter

796 Sport
796 Athletic and outdoor sports and games

Sprache

eng

Open access status

Open Access

Paginierung

Art. 121

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2019

Public URL

https://openscience.ub.uni-mainz.de/handle/20.500.12030/776

Herausgeber

Frontiers Research Foundation

Herausgeber URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00121

Datum der Datenerfassung

2019

Datum, an dem der Datensatz öffentlich gemacht wurde

2019

Zugang

Public

Titel

Dynamic office environments improve brain activity and attentional performance mediated by increased motor activity

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

13

Files

59041.pdf

Datenquelle: OPENSCIENCE.UB

Dynamic Office Environments Improve Brain Activity and Attentional Performance Mediated by Increased Motor Activity

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