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Clinical Trial
. 2016:2016:8130731.
doi: 10.1155/2016/8130731. Epub 2016 Jul 11.

Cognitive Performance during a 24-Hour Cold Exposure Survival Simulation

Michael J Taber  1 , Geoffrey L Hartley  2 , Gregory W McGarr  2 , Dessi Zaharieva  2 , Fabien A Basset  3 , Zach Hynes  4 , Francois Haman  5 , Bernard M Pinet  6 , Michel B DuCharme  7 , Stephen S Cheung  8
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Cognitive Performance during a 24-Hour Cold Exposure Survival Simulation

Michael J Taber et al. Biomed Res Int. 2016.

Abstract

Survivor of a ship ground in polar regions may have to wait more than five days before being rescued. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore cognitive performance during prolonged cold exposure. Core temperature (T c) and cognitive test battery (CTB) performance data were collected from eight participants during 24 hours of cold exposure (7.5°C ambient air temperature). Participants (recruited from those who have regular occupational exposure to cold) were instructed that they could freely engage in minimal exercise that was perceived to maintaining a tolerable level of thermal comfort. Despite the active engagement, test conditions were sufficient to significantly decrease T c after exposure and to eliminate the typical 0.5-1.0°C circadian rise and drop in core temperature throughout a 24 h cycle. Results showed minimal changes in CTB performance regardless of exposure time. Based on the results, it is recommended that survivors who are waiting for rescue should be encouraged to engage in mild physical activity, which could have the benefit of maintaining metabolic heat production, improve motivation, and act as a distractor from cold discomfort. This recommendation should be taken into consideration during future research and when considering guidelines for mandatory survival equipment regarding cognitive performance.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Full CTB administration protocol.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total GMLT error based on GMLT-5 and GMLT-Recall during the postexposure session. The white circles represent the mean T c of participants at the time of completing the recall GMLT.
Figure 3
Figure 3
MRT errors committed by each participant across all trials.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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