title: +Gz load and executive functions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pilots are constantly exposed to a number of environmental factors, which include +Gz load. Physiological changes evoked by +Gz stimuli have already been well investigated in aviation medicine. However, the influence of +Gz stimulation on executive functions in pilots has not yet been thoroughly explored.
  
  
  METHODS
  There were 20 pilot cadets between the ages of 19 and 22 yr who volunteered to participate in the experiment. The subjects were divided into two groups: the G-load group, which was exposed to accelerations in the centrifuge, and the control group, which did not undergo this stimulation. Executive functions were assessed by means of the Schulte tables and the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  +Gz load exposure significantly improved attention switching. This relationship was valid for performance speed (M = 268.09 s in the pretest in the G-load group; M = 228.09 s in the posttest in the G-load group) and for the cumulative time of mistakes (M = 26.73 s in the pretest in the G-load group; M = 12 s in the posttest in the G-load group), whereas reproduction of visuospatial stimuli from memory deteriorated significantly under the influence of +Gz stimulation (M = 17.18 points in the posttest in the G-load group; M = 28.18 points in the posttest in the control group).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that the impact of +Gz load is not homogenous and unidirectional, since it improves attention switching but visuospatial working memory decreases under its influence. These aspects are particularly important for understanding the mechanisms responsible for maintaining situational awareness during the flight.
authors.affiliation: Department of Aviation Psychology, Military Institute of Aviation Medicine, Krasinskiego 54, Warsaw 01-755, Poland. mpbiernacki@gmail.com
authors.forename: Marcin P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Biernacki
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tarnowski
authors.forename: Kamila
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lengsfeld
authors.forename: Rafał
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lewkowicz
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kowalczuk
authors.forename: Miroslaw
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dereń
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001364:Awareness / Q000502:physiology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D018471:Hypergravity; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult