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THE EFFECT OF LOWER-LIMB VENOUS POOLING ON EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING

Abstract

Joseph N. Wenz, Alexander Pomeroy, Katie Standford, Lee Stoner, FACSM. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.

PURPOSE: Vascular dementia (VaD) impacts approximately 4% of Americans age 65+ and 15% of those 80+. A notable risk factor for VaD is alterations in cerebral hemodynamic processes. Venous pooling in the legs reduces cardiac output and subsequently decreases blood delivery to the brain. Decreased brain blood flow would be expected to reduce cognitive outcomes, including executive function. This study aims to determine the effect of venous pooling on executive function. METHODS: 15 participants (n = 15, 25.1 ± 6.2 years, 60% male, 40% female) completed separate three testing sessions: (i) BASE: measurement of baseline executive function [completion time (sec) for Trail Making Test, (TMT)]; (ii) CUFF: TMT administered following 2-hr uninterrupted sitting with venous occlusion (using cuffs placed above both knees); and (iii) NON-CUFF: TMT administered two-hours following 2-hr uninterrupted sitting without venous occlusion (cuff placed above knees but not inflated). Repeated measures analysis of variance was used to compare the three conditions RESULTS: The TMT completion was non-significantly lower (superior) for CUFF versus BASE (mean difference = -6.61 sec, p = 0.148) and significantly lower for NON-CUFF versus BASE (mean difference = -10.28 sec, p = 0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to expected, venous pooling did not impair executive function. Source of funding: NONE

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