Influence of seasonally adjusted exposure to cold and darkness on cognitive performance in circumpolar residents

Abstract

The effects of seasonally adjusted 24-h exposure to cold and darkness on cognitive performance in urban circumpolar residents was assessed in 15 male subjects who spent three 24-h periods in a climatic chamber at 65 degrees latitude during the winter (January-March) and/or summer (August-September). Each subject was exposed to three different environmental conditions in random order: (1) 22 degrees C temperature and 500 lx lighting; (2) 10 degrees C temperature and 500 lx lighting; and (3) 10 degrees C temperature and 0.5-l lx lighting. Accuracy on an addition-subtraction task was significantly greater in the summer than in the winter (p= 0.038), while accuracy on a repeated acquisition task was significantly greater in the winter than in the summer (p < 0.001). Independent of season, exposure to cold and darkness was significantly associated with a decline in response time on five cognitive tests, an improvement in accuracy on three tests measuring complex cognitive tasks, and a decline in accuracy on two tests measuring simple tasks. Increased performance on complex tasks may result from increased arousal in response to the combination of cold temperatures and dim light characteristic of the winter in urban circumpolar settings.

Effects of cold exposure on behavioral and electrophysiological parameters related with hippocampal function in rats

“…On the other hand there is a general agreement on impaired memory retrieval in males, rats (Panakhova et al, 1984; Nuñez et al, 2000) and humans (Coleshaw et al, 1983; O’Brien et al, 2007). Improved (Palinkas et al, 2005; Zheng et al, 2008) or unaffected (Baddeley et al, 1975) performance which was reported after cold exposure causing hypothermia is probably related to the variability in study designs, type (water or air), duration and intensity of cold exposure. Performance in spatial tasks seems to be correlated with the intensity of hypothermia.…”

Seasonal Levels of Melatonin, Thyroid Hormones, Mood, and Cognition Near the Arctic Circle

“…In our previous study ( 9 ), exposure to cold air and dim light was associated with decreased response time on all fi ve cognitive tasks, suggesting that the subjects took less time to complete these tasks as environmental conditions became progressively more severe. However, accuracy on complex cognitive tasks improved, whereas accuracy on simple tasks declined.…”

“…These tasks included: matching-to-sample, simple reaction time, serial addition/ subtraction, grammatical reasoning, and repeated acquisition of response sequences. The tasks have been described in more detail in our previous study ( 9 ). The tasks were completed in the same order as presented above at each administration; however, the sequence of trials for each task was randomly ordered, so that no subject was administered a particular sequence of trials more than once for any task.…”

“…In a previous study, we documented that a short-time exposure to cold air and dim light was associated with a decline in response time on all cognitive tasks, an improvement in accuracy on complex tasks, and a decline in accuracy on simple tasks in a group of healthy young residents living in an urban circumpolar setting ( 9 ). In this study, we assessed whether these changes were associated with MLT levels and thyroid function.…”

Implementation of Cold Risk Management In Occupational Safety, Occupational Health and Quality Practices. Evaluation of a Development Process and Its Effects at the Finnish Maritime Administration

“…Muscle co-ordination and manual dexterity are impaired, physical load is increased, strength and velocity are decreased and postural sway is increased by cold exposure [3,4,5]. Mental performance is also affected, especially performance in complex tasks [6,7,8]. Wind, wetness and cold materials increase the cooling rate of skin and tissues, and thus increase the adverse effects of cold [9].…”