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Effect of Passive Hyperthermia on Working Memory Resources during Simple and Complex Cognitive Tasks
Nadia Gaoua1,2, Christopher P Herrera2,3, Julien D Périard2,4
1School of Applied Sciences, London South Bank University, London, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Psychology
|January 30, 2018
Summary
Hyperthermia increases cognitive load, as shown by higher theta power in electroencephalography (EEG) during cognitive tasks. This effect diminishes with task complexity, indicating potential resource saturation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Human Physiology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Hyperthermia, or elevated body temperature, is known to affect physiological and cognitive functions.
- Understanding the impact of heat stress on cognitive load is crucial for performance in various environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether hyperthermia acts as a cognitive load, limiting resources for concurrent cognitive tasks.
- To examine the relationship between core body temperature, electroencephalographic activity, and cognitive performance.
Main Methods:
- 10 participants underwent hyperthermic (HOT) and normothermic (CON) conditions.
- Electroencephalographic (EEG) activity (alpha and theta power) was recorded from the frontal lobe.
- Cognitive performance was assessed using simple (OTS-4) and complex (OTS-6) tasks.
Main Results:
- Core and mean skin temperatures were significantly higher in HOT conditions.
- Theta power, an indicator of cognitive load, increased with task demand and was higher in HOT vs. CON.
- The difference in theta power between HOT and CON was significant at rest and during a simple task, but disappeared during a complex task.
Conclusions:
- Hyperthermia may impose an additional cognitive load, as evidenced by increased theta power.
- This cognitive load appears to diminish with increasing task complexity, potentially due to resource saturation.
- Impaired performance during complex tasks under hyperthermia suggests a limit to cognitive resource availability.
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