Alterations in cognitive performance during passive hyperthermia are task dependent
Gaoua N, Racinais S, Grantham J, El Massioui F
International journal of hyperthermia : the official journal of European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology, North American Hyperthermia Group · 133 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Controlled clinical trial (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
Based on full-text disclosure statement.
Publication
- Published
- 2010-11-11 · Int J Hyperthermia · vol. 27 · issue 1 · pp. 1–9
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- Cited
- 232 citations · more than 90% of similar papers · 2.8× the field average
- References
- 67 works
- Access
- Free to read
- Research areas
- Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Thermal Regulation in Medicine · Climate Change and Health Impacts
- Keywords
- Hyperthermia, Cognition, Balance (ability), Core temperature, Working memory, Medicine, Audiology, Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance, Anesthesia, Psychology, Physical medicine and rehabilitation, Internal medicine, Neuroscience
- MeSH
- head, frontal lobe, humans, fever, body temperature, cognition, memory, short-term, attention, reaction time, adult, female, male, cold temperature, hot temperature
4 authors
From QA, FR
- Nadia Gaoua · correspondingQatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital
- Sébastien RacinaisQatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital
- Justin GranthamQatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital
- Farid El MassiouiUniversité Paris Cité; Laboratoire Cognitions Humaine et Artificielle; Université Paris 8
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the effect of passive heating upon attention and memory task performance, and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the application of cold packs to the head on preserving these functions. Using a counter-balance design 16 subjects underwent three trials: a control (CON, 20°C, 40% rH), hot (HOT, 50°C, 50% rH) and hot with the head kept cool (HHC). In each condition, three attention tests and two memory tests were performed. Mean core, forehead and tympanic temperatures were all significantly higher (p < 0.05) during HOT (38.6° ±0.1°, 39.6° ± 0.2° and 38.8°±0.1°C, respectively) and HHC (38° ± 0.2, 37.7° ± 0.3° and 37.7°C, respectively) than in CON (37.1° ± 0.6°, 33.3° ± 0.2° and 35.9° ± 0.3°C, respectively). Results indicate that there was impairment in working memory with heat exposure (p < 0.05) without alteration in attentional processes. The regular application of cold packs only prevented the detrimental effect of hyperthermia on short-term memory. Our results show that impairments in cognitive function with passive hyperthermia and the beneficial effect of head cooling are task dependent and suggests that exposure to a hot environment is a competing variable to the cognitive processes.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher (CC BY).
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