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AIM AND OBJECTIVE: Reaction time is defined as an interval of time between the application of stimulus and the initiation of appropriate voluntary response as the subject has been instructed to respond as rapidly as possible. Reaction time is found to be altered by a number of factors both physiological and pharmacological. Our aim was to study the effect of BMI (Body Mass Index) and gender on audiovisual reaction time. METHODS: The study was carried on 122 healthy medical students in the age group of 17-22 years, among them 68 were males and 54 were females .The subjects were presented with two visual stimuli (green and red light stimuli) and two auditory stimuli (tone and click sound stimuli). Data was analyzed using one-way ANOVA (analysis of variance). RESULTS: Individuals with a BMI less than, and individuals with a BMI greater than the normal range of BMI were found to have reaction times longer than those individuals having normal BMI. Therefore, in order to have the quickest reaction time, one needs to be healthy and fit and should have a BMI within the normal range. It was found that females had significantly longer visual reaction time for red light when compared to males. Even the auditory reaction time was also more in females than males, although it was not statistically significant.

Relevance. Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic disorders wherein hyperglycemia occurs either due to lack of insulin secretion and/or reduced insulin sensitivity of the tissues. One of the commonest complications of diabetes is neuropathy and its severity will depend on how long and how high the hyperglycemia has been prevalent. Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes affects the peripheral nerves and slows psychomotor responses in persons who do not have proper glycemic control. This decreased psychomotor response because improper glycemic control affects the reaction time in diabetics. Objective: to assess and compare the auditory and visual reaction time in group-1 and group-2 diabetics and to correlate it with glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in both the groups. Methods. The study was conducted on 60 subjects aged between 40-50 years after obtaining the permission of the ethical committee of our institution. The group consisted of 60 well-controlled diabetic patients (HbA1c < 7%) with a history of diabetes for 1-10 years attending the medical OPD of Basaveshwar teaching and general hospital, Gulbarga. Diabetics with HbA1c 5-6% were grouped as group-1 and those with HbA1c 6-7% as group 2. The visual reaction time for a green and red light and auditory reaction time for tone and click sound were measured by using reaction time apparatus 2x4, Anand agencies Pune. HbA1c was done by the micro-column method. Results. The visual and auditory reaction time of diabetics with HbA1c 5-6% was faster as compared to the diabetics with HbA1c 6-7% with P< 0.001 and a statistically significant positive correlation was found between HbA1c levels and the visual and auditory reaction time. Conclusion. Poor glycemic control slows psychomotor responses and thus affects the visual and auditory reaction time.

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