Direct exposure of the head to solar heat radiation impairs motor-cognitive performance
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Direct exposure of the head to solar heat radiation impairs motor-cognitive performance. / Piil, Jacob Feder; Christiansen, Lasse; Morris, Nathan Bradley; Mikkelsen, Jacob; Ioannou, Leonidas G; Flouris, Andreas D; Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper; Nybo, Lars.
In: Scientific Reports, Vol. 10, No. 1, 7812, 2020.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Direct exposure of the head to solar heat radiation impairs motor-cognitive performance
AU - Piil, Jacob Feder
AU - Christiansen, Lasse
AU - Morris, Nathan Bradley
AU - Mikkelsen, Jacob
AU - Ioannou, Leonidas G
AU - Flouris, Andreas D
AU - Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper
AU - Nybo, Lars
N1 - CURIS 2020 NEXS 135
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Health and performance impairments provoked by thermal stress are societal challenges geographically spreading and intensifying with global warming. Yet, science may be underestimating the true impact, since no study has evaluated effects of sunlight exposure on human brain temperature and function. Accordingly, performance in cognitively dominated and combined motor-cognitive tasks and markers of rising brainstem temperature were evaluated during exposure to simulated sunlight (equal to ~1000 watt/m2). Acute exposure did not affect any performance measures, whereas prolonged exposure of the head and neck provoked an elevation of the core temperature by 1 °C and significant impairments of cognitively dominated and motor task performances. Importantly, impairments emerged at considerably lower hyperthermia levels compared to previous experiments and to the trials in the presents study without radiant heating of the head. These findings highlight the importance of including the effect of sunlight radiative heating of the head and neck in future scientific evaluations of environmental heat stress impacts and specific protection of the head to minimize detrimental effects.
AB - Health and performance impairments provoked by thermal stress are societal challenges geographically spreading and intensifying with global warming. Yet, science may be underestimating the true impact, since no study has evaluated effects of sunlight exposure on human brain temperature and function. Accordingly, performance in cognitively dominated and combined motor-cognitive tasks and markers of rising brainstem temperature were evaluated during exposure to simulated sunlight (equal to ~1000 watt/m2). Acute exposure did not affect any performance measures, whereas prolonged exposure of the head and neck provoked an elevation of the core temperature by 1 °C and significant impairments of cognitively dominated and motor task performances. Importantly, impairments emerged at considerably lower hyperthermia levels compared to previous experiments and to the trials in the presents study without radiant heating of the head. These findings highlight the importance of including the effect of sunlight radiative heating of the head and neck in future scientific evaluations of environmental heat stress impacts and specific protection of the head to minimize detrimental effects.
U2 - 10.1038/s41598-020-64768-w
DO - 10.1038/s41598-020-64768-w
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 32385322
VL - 10
JO - Scientific Reports
JF - Scientific Reports
SN - 2045-2322
IS - 1
M1 - 7812
ER -
ID: 240986665