Abstract
Purpose: Gender differences in cognitive processing and brain function have been widely studied, but their interaction with postural changes remains underexplored. This study assessed how sitting posture (upright vs forward head posture) affects prefrontal brain activation in males and females, as measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods: Twenty-seven healthy participants (14 males, age=21.5±1.5 years, 13 females, age= 24.6±1.9 years) performed the stop-signal task in the upright and forward head sitting posture. At the same time, the oxygenation levels of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) were measured. Gender-based differences in oxygenation patterns were analyzed. Results: We observed a significant difference in deoxy-Hb levels between males and females across different sitting postures. However, sitting posture did not significantly affect prefrontal activity, processing speed, accuracy, or inhibitory control abilities. Conclusion: Within the confines of this study, significant differences were found in deoxy-Hb levels between males and females across different sitting postures. However, sitting posture did not significantly affect participants’ inhibitory control abilities or prefrontal activity. The interaction between gender and sitting posture suggests possible differences in the effects on cognitive processes between males and females. It is plausible that the limited duration of sitting posture exposure may have mitigated substantial changes in cognitive performance or brain oxygenation. Future studies should consider longer intervention durations and a more thorough exploration of potential confounding variables.