Wearing a KN95/FFP2 facemask has no measureable effect on functional activity in a challenging working memory n-back...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread facemask use.
• Understanding the potential cognitive and neurological effects of facemask wearing is important.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of wearing KN95/FFP2 facemasks on working memory performance.
• To examine the effects of facemask use on brain activation patterns using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Main Methods:

• A prospective crossover design fMRI study was conducted.
• 24 healthy male participants performed a 2-back working memory task with and without wearing an FFP2/KN95 facemask.
• Data analysis included task-related and functional connectivity independent component analyses using FSL.

Main Results:

• Facemask use did not significantly alter behavioral measures (response time, errors) of the 2-back task.
• Typical working memory-related brain activations were observed in both masked and unmasked conditions.
• No statistically significant differences in task-related or functional connectivity fMRI analyses were found between the MASK and NOMASK conditions.

Conclusions:

• Wearing a tight FFP2/KN95 facemask did not significantly affect working memory performance.
• Facemask use showed no significant impact on brain activation patterns or functional connectivity during the working memory task.