Effect of temperature reduction of the prefrontal area on accuracy of visual sustained attention

Abstract

Objectives. Detection of sensitive signs in many work environments with automated systems (aviation industry, flight safety tower, maritime industry, monitoring in the military industry, etc.) is essential and requires constant visual attention. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of forehead cooling on the accuracy of stable visual attention. Methods. This interventional study was performed on 34 male students. The sampling method was a randomized block design. Subjects were assessed by demographic questionnaire, Snellen chart, Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI) and physiological and cognitive measurements. Results. Prefrontal cortex (PFC) cooling caused significant changes in sublingual temperature during four measurements in the intervention group. There were no significant changes in heart rate, diastolic blood pressure and saturation of peripheral oxygen (%SpO₂) between the two groups. The critical flicker frequency (CFF) as an indicator of cognitive fatigue showed that cognitive improvement after PFC cooling occurred following a reduction in cognitive fatigue. Conclusions. Considering the importance of choosing non-invasive methods to improve the operator’s cognitive skills while performing cognitive tasks in the field of neuroergonomics, it can be concluded that PFC cooling is an effective and safe way to improve some cognitive skills such as visual attention.

Keywords:

• visual attention
• sustained attention
• neuroergonomics
• flicker fusion threshold
• hemoencephalography

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Ethical approval of studies/informed consent

The present study is an interventional study with the code of ethics IR.SUMS.REC.1397.998 and also the clinical trial code IRCT20181203041830N1 registered in the database of the International Center for Clinical Trials Registration of Iran.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.