title: Cognitive Performance during a 24-Hour Cold Exposure Survival Simulation.
abstract: Survivor of a ship ground in polar regions may have to wait more than five days before being rescued. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore cognitive performance during prolonged cold exposure. Core temperature (T c) and cognitive test battery (CTB) performance data were collected from eight participants during 24 hours of cold exposure (7.5°C ambient air temperature). Participants (recruited from those who have regular occupational exposure to cold) were instructed that they could freely engage in minimal exercise that was perceived to maintaining a tolerable level of thermal comfort. Despite the active engagement, test conditions were sufficient to significantly decrease T c after exposure and to eliminate the typical 0.5-1.0°C circadian rise and drop in core temperature throughout a 24 h cycle. Results showed minimal changes in CTB performance regardless of exposure time. Based on the results, it is recommended that survivors who are waiting for rescue should be encouraged to engage in mild physical activity, which could have the benefit of maintaining metabolic heat production, improve motivation, and act as a distractor from cold discomfort. This recommendation should be taken into consideration during future research and when considering guidelines for mandatory survival equipment regarding cognitive performance.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, Canada L2S 3A1; Falck Safety Services Canada, 20 Orion Court, Dartmouth, NS, Canada B2Y 4W6.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-0436-048X
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Taber
authors.affiliation: Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, Canada L2S 3A1.
authors.forename: Geoffrey L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.affiliation: Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, Canada L2S 3A1.
authors.forename: Gregory W
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3907-7123
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: McGarr
authors.affiliation: Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, Canada L2S 3A1.
authors.forename: Dessi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zaharieva
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada A1C 5S7; Marine and Arctic Survival Scientific and Engineering Research Team (MASSERT), Canada.
authors.forename: Fabien A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Basset
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Kinetics and Recreation, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, Canada A1C 5S7.
authors.forename: Zach
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hynes
authors.affiliation: School of Human Kinetics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5; Nutrition and Metabolism Research Unit, Montfort Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Francois
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3728-1665
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1N 6N5.
authors.forename: Bernard M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7285-8175
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Pinet
authors.affiliation: Marine and Arctic Survival Scientific and Engineering Research Team (MASSERT), Canada; Defence R&D Canada, Quebec City, QC, Canada G3J 1X5.
authors.forename: Michel B
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1474-2892
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: DuCharme
authors.affiliation: Environmental Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Avenue, St. Catharines, ON, Canada L2S 3A1; Marine and Arctic Survival Scientific and Engineering Research Team (MASSERT), Canada.
authors.forename: Stephen S
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6149-4978
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Cheung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003071:Cognition; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003710:Demography; D006801:Humans; D018782:Maze Learning; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012767:Ships; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult