title: Effects of experimentally induced respiratory virus infections and illness on psychomotor performance.
abstract: In two studies experimentally induced colds slowed the speed of response in a serial reaction task. Responding was also slower during the incubation period of the illness, which shows that performance on such a task may be used to predict subsequent illness. Volunteers who had no significant clinical illness, but who had a significant rise in IgG following virus challenge, also showed changes in performance. In contrast to the serial reaction task, neither colds nor subclinical infections impaired performance on a detection task.
authors.affiliation: MRC Perceptual and Cognitive Performance Unit, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Tyrrell
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Al-Nakib
authors.forename: K B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Coyle
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Donovan
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Willman
mesh_terms: D003139:Common Cold / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*