title: Pre-cooling moderately enhances visual discrimination during exercise in the heat.
abstract: Pre-cooling has been reported to attenuate the increase in core temperature, although, information regarding the effects of pre-cooling on cognitive function is limited. The present study investigated the effects of pre-cooling on visual discrimination during exercise in the heat. Eight male recreational runners completed 90 min of treadmill running at 65% [Formula: see text]2maxin the heat [32.4 ± 0.9°C and 46.8 ± 6.4% relative humidity (r.h.)] on two occasions in a randomised, counterbalanced crossover design. Participants underwent pre-cooling by means of water immersion (20.3 ± 0.3°C) for 60 min or remained seated for 60 min in a laboratory (20.2 ± 1.7°C and 60.2 ± 2.5% r.h.). Rectal temperature (Trec) and mean skin temperature (Tskin) were monitored throughout the protocol. At 30-min intervals participants performed a visual discrimination task. Following pre-cooling, Trec(P = 0.040; [Formula: see text] = 0.48) was moderately lower at 0 and 30 min and Tskin(P = 0.003; [Formula: see text] = 0.75) lower to a large extent at 0 min of exercise. Visual discrimination was moderately more accurate at 60 and 90 min of exercise following pre-cooling (P = 0.067; [Formula: see text] = 0.40). Pre-cooling resulted in small improvements in visual discrimination sensitivity (F1,7= 2.188; P = 0.183; [Formula: see text] = 0.24), criterion (F1,7= 1.298; P = 0.292; [Formula: see text] = 0.16) and bias (F1,7= 2.202; P = 0.181; [Formula: see text] = 0.24). Pre-cooling moderately improves visual discrimination accuracy during exercise in the heat.
authors.affiliation: a School of Life Sciences, Faculty Health and Life Sciences , Coventry University , Coventry , UK.
authors.forename: Neil D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.affiliation: a School of Life Sciences, Faculty Health and Life Sciences , Coventry University , Coventry , UK.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.affiliation: a School of Life Sciences, Faculty Health and Life Sciences , Coventry University , Coventry , UK.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: a School of Life Sciences, Faculty Health and Life Sciences , Coventry University , Coventry , UK.
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hankey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001831:Body Temperature; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007101:Immersion; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D013696:Temperature; D014785:Vision, Ocular; D014867:Water; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: Core temperature; cognitive function; cold water immersion