Effect of water deprivation on cognitive-motor performance in healthy men and women

• DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00501.2004
• Publication Date: 2005-04-22T00:35:12Z
• Authors: Gabor Szinnai; Hartmut Schachinger; Maurice J Arnaud; Lilly Linder; Ulrich Keller
• Keywords: Stroop effect; Alertness

Whether mental performance is affected by slowly progressive moderate dehydration induced water deprivation has not been examined previously. Therefore, objective and subjective cognitive-motor function was in 16 volunteers (8 females, 8 males, mean age: 26 yr) twice, once after 24 h of during normal intake (randomized cross-over design; 7-day interval). Water resulted a 2.6% decrease body weight. Neither estimated paced auditory serial addition task, an adaptive 5-choice reaction time test, manual tracking Stroop word-color conflict test nor neurophysiological assessed event-related potentials P300 (oddball paradigm) differed (P > 0.1) between the control study. However, ratings changed significantly toward increased tiredness (+1.0 points) reduced alertness (-0.9 points on 5-point scale; both: P < 0.05), higher levels perceived effort (+27 mm) concentration (+28 mm 100-mm 0.05) necessary for accomplishment dehydration. Several time-based responses revealed significant interactions gender dehydration, with prolonged women but shortened men (Stroop women: +26 ms, men: -36 0.01; +58 -31 = 0.05). In conclusion, preserved young humans up to level Sexual dimorphism present. Increased task-related suggests that healthy exhibit cognitive compensating mechanisms