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Impact of obesity on central processing time rather than overall reaction time in young adult men

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Abstract

Background and purpose

The association between weight status with simple cognitive tasks such as reaction time (RT) may not be observed in young people as cognitive functioning development has reached its peak. In the present study, we aimed to examine the association between overall and central adiposity with overall and central processing of RT in a sample of young adult men with different weight status from Ardabil, Iran.

Methods

Eighty-six young males between June-July 2018 completed RT tests as well as premotor time (PMT) using surface electromyography changes in isometric contraction response to an audio stimulus.

Results

No significant associations were observed between RT and PMT and different body mass index categories (underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese), as well as fat mass and fat to skeletal muscle mass ratio quartiles (Q). However, participants with greater waist to height ratio (WHtR) had longer PMT (but not RT) than their peers with lower WHtR (Q3 than Q2 and Q1 groups; p < 0.05, d = 1.23). Participants in the skeletal muscle mass quartile Q2 tended to have longer RT than participants in Q3 in an adjusted comparison model (p = 0.05, d = 0.72).

Conclusions

Although the association between weight status and RT might be elusive in young adults, our results show that higher central adiposity is negatively associated with PMT in young adults. Longitudinal studies are needed to explore the changes in obesity indexes and process speed in longer terms.

Level of evidence

Level I, experimental study.

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Abbreviations

BDI-II:

BECK depression inventory-II

BIA:

Bio-electrical impedance analysis

BMI:

Body mass index

CANTAB:

Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Battery

EMG:

Electromyography

EMG RT:

Electromyographic analysis of RT

5-CRT:

Five-choice RT

KMO:

Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin

IPAQ:

Long form international physical activity questionnaire

Onset3:

Mean RT in initiation of 3 s contractions

Offset3:

Mean RT in termination of 3 s contractions

Onset6:

Mean RT in initiation of 6 s contractions

Offset6:

Mean RT in termination of 6 s contractions

MT:

Motor time

MANCOVA:

Multivariate analysis of covariance

PMT:

Premotor time

RT:

Reaction time

SRT:

Simple RT

SMM:

Skeletal muscle mass

SES:

Socioeconomic status

2-CRT:

Two-choice RT

WHtR:

Waist to height ratio

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Funding

No funding was received for performing the present study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

    Mohammad Narimani

  2. University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

    Samad Esmaeilzadeh, Behrouz Heidari & Malahat Kashfi-Moghadam

  3. Active Life Lab, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences, Mikkeli, Finland

    Arto J. Pesola

  4. School of Health and Social Care, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK

    Liane B. Azevedo

  5. Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

    Akbar Moradi

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  1. Mohammad Narimani
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Correspondence to Mohammad Narimani.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the Human Ethics Committee of University of Mohaghegh Ardabili and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Narimani, M., Esmaeilzadeh, S., Pesola, A.J. et al. Impact of obesity on central processing time rather than overall reaction time in young adult men. Eat Weight Disord 24, 1051–1061 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-019-00752-2

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