جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « Cognitive Performance » در نشریات گروه « پزشکی »

Noise is one of the most harmful physical factors in workplaces in both developed and developing countries. Still, low-frequency noise has not received enough attention, and the current regulations on its control are inadequate. To address this issue, the present study was conducted to examine the physiological response and cognitive functions of individuals before and after exposure to low-frequency noise.

This study was conducted in the solar year 1401 and involved 40 students from Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Low-frequency noise with a level of 65 dB A was played for one hour. The patients' heart rates, blood pressure, and core temperatures were collected before and after exposure to low-frequency noise. Moreover, the continuous performance test was used to examine their cognitive performance. The data was analyzed using the Friedman and Voilcoxon tests in SPSS 25 software.

Low-frequency noise adversely impacted individual cognitive performance, increasing response error, omission error, and reaction time. However, according to the Wilcoxon test, only the increase in reaction time was statistically significant (P<0.05). Additionally, there was no significant difference in the individual's physiological indicators before and after exposure (P>0.05).

Exposure to low-frequency noise generates greater discomfort than background noise with the same intensity level and has adverse effects on the individual's performance. Thus, the adverse effects of low-frequency noise are particularly significant in workstations that require mental processing of information and specific attention, such as control rooms and offices.

Human-made environments can have negative and positive effects on the planet. One of the two-faceted artifacts is the construction of buildings for people's lives, buildings that are being built irregularly and quickly and lead to excessive consumption of fossil resources and energy waste. Become Therefore, one of the most important things in the design of a building is providing its thermal comfort; Comfort that has a direct effect on the cognitive function of humans. In this research, in addition to the topic of thermal comfort, we also discuss fatigue in the classroom, which is one of the factors influencing the cognitive performance of the students.

In this research, the cognitive performance of people were examined and compared in the range of thermal comfort and the suggested range of the Ashri standard. To investigate their performance in different temperature ranges, 220 architecture students of Ilam universities were selected by systematic random sampling method. The state of thermal comfort, cognitive functions, and fatigue of people was evaluated after measuring environmental factors through questionnaires and standard cognitive function software.

In addition to thermal comfort, which has a direct relationship with the cognitive performance of students, the passage of time is not an exception to this rule, in other words, the cognitive performance of students is derived from thermal comfort and the passage of time, which has a direct effect on academic, mental productivity. and also their practical efficiency. After examining the data in this regard, we reached meaningful results that indicate the highest efficiency of the students in the conditions of proper thermal comfort and the first 60 minutes of the start of their performance.

The results of this research show that even if the thermal comfort of the students' classrooms is provided according to the ASHERI standard, the students' cognitive performance will decrease after 60 minutes from the start of the class.

Cognitive-motor skills form a large part of human life, and for many years researchers and educators have attempted to identify factors that influence their implementation.

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive attentional focus instructions and exercise schedule on cognitive performance in elderly men.

The present study was a semi-experimental method with a pretest-posttest design and 4 experimental groups. Sixty elderly men from Ahvaz city aged 60-80 years were selected by voluntary random sampling in 2020 and randomly divided into four experimental groups (variable practice-internal attention, variable practice-external attention, constant practice-external attention, and constant practice-internal attention). The dartboard attached to the wall served as a tool. The research groups had 10 sessions and each session consisted of 3 blocks of 10 trials. Thus, the test was performed 48 hours after the subjects' last training session. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and mixed repeated measures analysis of variance.

The results of one-way ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference between the groups in the posttest phase (P=0.001, F=11.43). Tukey's post hoc test was used to test the differences. The results showed a significant difference between the variable practice-external attention group with variable practice-internal attention (P=0.011), constant practice-external attention (P=0.001), and constant practice-internal attention (P=0.001) groups. However, no difference was found between the other study groups at this stage.

Based on the research results, the combined group with variable practice-external attention performed better than the other groups. Considering that the variable practice-external attention training group showed better cognitive performance, geriatric sneakers and professionals are recommended to use the combined advantage of these two methods in their training plans.

Cognitive emotion regulation (CER) strategies define as cognition-based responses according to emotion-eliciting experiences that can change the type and severity of individuals’ reactions and behaviors. This modification may positively or negatively affect cognitive performance and therefore, it is a defining issue in the workplace. Notably, industries such as combined cycle power plants need to hire staff with a high cognitive ability to perform their duties in a highly efficient way. Since CER is of great importance for overall health and cognitive performance, we aimed to evaluate the state of CER among control room operators (CROs) in the Fars combined cycle power plant.

The CER questionnaire (CERQ) measures nine cognitive coping strategies (i.e., self-blame, other-blame, rumination, catastrophizing, positive refocusing, planning, positive reappraisal, putting into perspective, and acceptance) that are followed when an individual confronts negative events. The CERQ (short version) was administered to 57 male CROs at the Fars combined cycle power plant. The questionnaire also collected demographic data. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Version 25.0. For the normality test, Shapiro-Wilk was the method of choice.

Results of the CERQ scoring showed that the median with interquartile range (IQR) in appropriate and inappropriate categories were 3.50 (3.30-4.00) and 2.62 (2.25-3.06), respectively. Of note, age (39.07 ±6.19) and work experience (14.49±6.26) were not significantly correlated with the results of CERQ.

Taken together, adaptive cognitive strategies (acceptance, positive refocusing, planning, positive reappraisal, and putting into perspective) were reported to be used more often than less adaptive strategies. In general, staff strategies were appropriate while facing a negative event. Although assessing CER in high-demand workplaces is necessary, factors such as managerial styles, job engagement, job satisfaction, and larger sample size should be further studied.

One of the secondary consequences of burnout is a significant reduction in cognitive functions, the most obvious and important of which is the cognitive function of attention and control, which can play a vital role in efficiency and prevention of errors at work in many occupations. On the other hand, a neurological examination is needed to understand better the relationship between burnout and its consequent depressive disorder regarding the cognitive function of the attention network of these individuals. Depressed people usually have neuropsychological disorders. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the cognitive performance of executive control of health care workers with shift jobs on the verge of burnout using the Attention Network Test (ANT) Event-Related Potential (ERP).

The sample included 26 health care providers on the verge of burnout in Rasoul Akram Hospital in Tehran (15 without depression and 11 with mild to moderate depression) selected by purposive sampling. The rate of burnout was assessed by the Maslach Scales (1981); depression was evaluated by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21); attention was assessed by the Network Attention Test (ANT) and simultaneously with the behavioral test. We investigated the event-related potential (ERP) indicators of attention processing. Independent t-test and paired t-test were used for data analysis.

The results of behavioral performance revealed no significant difference between the two groups in the three attention networks; however, Significant differences can be seen in ERP brain waves related to the executive function of attention, especially by increasing the SP wave and N2 wave component compared to normal individuals without depression

: Significant differences can be seen in ERP brain waves related to the executive function of attention, especially by increasing the SP wave and N2 wave component compared to normal individuals without depression. According to the study results, it can be stated that to improve cognitive performance in people's work environments, measures should be taken to reduce burnout and depression, and employees should perform their activities with better performance and help the quality growth of the work environment.

The noise could affect some aspects of human health, including the cognitive performance. In addition to sound pressure level and exposure time, the psychoacoustic features of noise may cause destructive effects on humans. A few recent studies have been conducted on effect of sound quality on cognitive performance. This study aims to find the noise loudness and sharpness levels as the most destructive effects on human cognitive performance.

This was a cross-sectional study on 10 male students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The Noises were generated in two channels that the left channel produced the pink noise as a background noise. The pink noise loudness and sharpness were 19.7 sone and 2.49 acum, respectively. The right channel generated noises with different loudness and sharpness levels the noise loudness ranged from 8.87 to 67.9 sone and the noise sharpness ranged from 1.07 to 6.4 acum. Finally, ten noises with different loudness and sharpness were applied. The students were exposed to ten different types of noise and a silent condition. The Mathematical Problem Solving Task (MPST) test was performed to assess cognitive performance. The reaction time and the accuracy rate were measured after 5 minutes of noise exposure. Data were analyzed by SPSS (ver. 22). P< 0.05 was considered as significant level.

The mean reaction time and the mean accuracy rate increased with the sharpness level.  However, alteration in the loudness and sharpness levels had no significant effect on the speed and accuracy of students. Performance speed increased in noise 3 with the highest loudness (L=67.9, SH=1.07) in comparison with the silent condition (p-value=0.05). The mean accuracy rate in exposure to the noise 9 reduced in comparison with silence (p-value=0.04)

Different levels of psychoacoustic features had no significant effect on the cognitive performance parameters. Although, the accuracy rate and the reaction time decreased in noises 9, the sharpest noise, and 3, the loudest noise, in comparison to the silence, respectively.

Recent evidence indicates that lighting can affect physiological and neurobehavioral human functions, referred to as non-image forming (NIF) effects of lighteffects. This study aimed to determine the effects of illumination levels and correlated color temperature (CCT) on alertness and performance under NIF conditions.

In this study, 22 participants were exposed to light at various levels of illumination, including very low illuminance (<5 lux, control) and light conditions with correlated color temperatures (CCT) of 4000 K, 8000 K, and 12000 K at 300 and 500 lux. The data collection process included recording the power of brainwaves (alpha, alpha-theta, beta, and theta), sleepiness and mood scales, and cognitive performance tests for sustained attention, psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), working memory, and inhibitory capacity.

The results indicated that 500 lux light conditions at correlated color temperatures of 8000 and 12000K significantly reduced normalized alpha, alpha-theta power, subjective sleepiness, and performance compared to the dim light condition. Under illumination levels of 300 and 500 lux, there were no significant differences in the measured values of the variables.

Lighting interventions can be used as a supplement to other strategies for increasing alertness and performance in the workplace.

Workers in many industries (oil, gas, petrochemicals, cement, steel, glass, and textile) and even at home, offices are exposed to various noises with different frequencies causing hearing and non-hearing impairments. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of noise at different frequencies on physiological responses and cognitive functions of oil drilling industry personnel and urban gas pressure reducing station.

This descriptive-analytical study was conducted in 2019 with the participation of 50 employees of oil drilling rigs (low frequency noise) and city gas pressure reducing stations (high frequency noise). Physiological parameters examined included (heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and tympanic body temperature). The participantschr cognitive functions were assessed using advanced reaction timer, continuous performance and working memory tests before, during and after the activities. Also, the relationship between variables was investigated using structural equation modeling (SEM).

The study results indicated that was exposed to noise at high and low frequencies, physiological responses, including heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure and tympanic temperature increase, and this increase was statistically significant (p <0.001). Exposure to noise also has a negative effect on cognitive functions (such as working memory, sustained attention, and advanced reaction timer).

Low frequency noise has a greater effect on physiological responses and cognitive function than high frequency noise. Obviously, further research in this area is suggested in the industry.

 Undesirable lighting at work environment causes visual and non-visual effects on employers. The aim of this study was to compare the quantity and quality of combined and artificial lighting in daytime and its relationship with the indexes of mental performance.

 This study was carried out at 65 rooms and on 81 employees randomly selected from different clusters. Measurement of lighting parameters was done using a spectrometer. To assess the cognitive function, the Pshycomotor Vigiliance Task (PVT) test and for the sake of visual comfort, alertness and sleep quality, the Conlone, KSS (Karolinska Sleepiness Scale) and PSQI (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) questionnaires were used respectively.

Most artificial sources used in the rooms included fluorescent lights in different shapes and colors. The average indexes of combined lighting was more than artificial lightings (P<0.001). Visual comfort was correlated with high color temperature (P=0.006, r = 0.315). The employees with natural lighting had less visually impairment. The sleep quality of the subjects was related to the type of work environment lighting (Chi2=0.59, P=0.44). Alertness of subjects exposed to high color temperature or natural light was better at 8 and 11 hours. The results of cognitive performance test showed no significant difference between different lighting conditions.

Using natural light or artificial lights with adequate illuminance and high correlated color temperature can increase the alertness and visual comfort to some extent and improve the sleep quality of day staff employers.

Road traffic noise is one of the most common sources of environmental noise which has various effects on mental and physical health, impaired daily life function and cognitive performance. Vibration is another achievement of industrial development that is accompanied by noise in most work environments. Vibration transmitted from road surface to vehicles and drivers may interfere with activities, affect their comfort level and reduce attention. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of independent and simultaneous exposure to traffic noise and whole body vibration on visual and auditory attention and control response of males using Integrated Visual Auditory Performance Test (IVA + PLUS).

The study population included 24 male students aged 18 to 30 years old in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences who had inclusion criteria for the study. The experiments were performed in 4 steps randomly in one day for each person in the acoustic room and in total, 96 experimental runs (24 runs per step) were performed. Inclusion criteria included: Students in the age group of 18-30 years, no history of underlying diseases including respiratory problems, skin disorders, sleep and cardiovascular disorders and other health problems affecting onechr('39')s muscular and brain health, no short term illnesses during the trial (colds, diarrhea and vomiting), no history of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders, hearing loss less than dBA27, visual acuity above (7/10), no smoking addiction and drugs and alcohol, no use of hypnotic drugs and CNS attenuating drugs during the test period, not  being over sensitive to sound according to Weinstein noise sensitivity questionnaire and getting a score of 22 or below in General Health Questionnaire, which reflects the health of the individuals. Exclusion criteria also included: a personchr('39')s unwillingness to continue participating because of the long studychr('39')s time and people who did not meet the above criteria. Subjects did the IVA test (data recorded including scores of total attention and response control scores) in background conditions (sound level dBA 27 and vibration acceleration zero), then they were exposed to individual and combined noise level of 55 dBA (as the permissible sound pressure level at outdoors) and the vibration acceleration of 0.65 m/s2 (as the average acceleration vibration in the Iranian vehicles). In this study, a vibration simulator was used to generate a vibration in the x, y, and z axes at different frequencies and intensities, either sinusoidal or randomly using a vibrating engine. The Italian OLI VIBRATOR MVE.440 / 2M vibrating engine was attached to the seat using a metal stand. The Ic5 inverter was used to adjust the vibration frequency and acceleration and the whole body vibration meter according to ISO 2631 was used to ensure the calibration of the vibration produced by the vibration simulator. The noise used in this study was generated by the signal software with combining the desired frequency and these computer-generated audio files were performed in the Cool edit tool software during the test. One of the features of this software is the ability to edit the sound in intensity at different frequencies, and by continuously monitoring noise in the acoustic room, the volume of the noise can be controlled at the desired frequencies. During the exposure, the intensity of noise within the individualchr('39')s hearing range, inside the acoustic room was controlled by a calibrated B&K 2238 Sound Level Meter. The IVA is an 8-minute visual and auditory continuous performance test that assesses total attention and response control scores. The task of the participant is to react when the number 1 is seen or heard and to click on the mouse once, and don’t react when the number 2 is seen or heard. The task type assigned to the participants was "simple", its physical workload was "light". Participants signed written consent form and filled demographic information form, general health questionnaire (GHQ-28), and Weinstein noise sensitivity scale. Audiometric and the E eye chart tests were done for hearing and visual acuity testing. To determine the individual and combined effect of noise and whole body vibration on attention and response control, regression analysis of repeated measures using generalized estimating equations with first order autoregressive process was used.

The mean (±SD) age of the participants were 23.41 ± 2.99 years. In the visual test and in the background vibration acceleration, the mean scores of attention has been increased with increasing traffic noise from 27 to 55 dBA and the response control score has been decreased (P = 0.79 and P = 0.1, respectively). At the background noise level, mean scores of attention and response control have been increased with increasing vibration acceleration from zero to 0.65 m/s2 (P = 0.49 and P = 0.59, respectively),). In combined exposure condition with noise level 55 dBA and vibration acceleration of 0.65 m/s2, the mean score of attention decreased compared to background ones (P= 0.95), and the response control score increased compared to background ones (P= 0.72). In the auditory test and in the background vibration acceleration, the mean scores of attention and response control have been increased by increasing the traffic noise from 27 to 55 dBA (P = 0.02 and P = 0.13, respectively), At the background noise level, mean scores of attention were significantly reduced by increasing the vibration acceleration from zero to 0.65 m/s2 (P =0.01). Mean scores of response control has been increased with increasing vibrational acceleration from zero to 0.65 m/s2 (P=0.74). In combined exposure condition, the mean scores of attention were significantly lower than background ones (P =0.01), and the response control score has been increased compared to the background ones (P= 0.09).

Similar results were found regarding the combined effect of noise level 55 dBA and vibration acceleration of 0.65 m/s2 on the total level of attention and response control in visual and auditory tests. So that the simultaneous increase in noise level and vibration acceleration relative to the background condition leaded to decrease in the total score of attention in both visual and auditory dimensions. However, in the mentioned conditions, the response control score has been increased in both visual and auditory tests.  It seems that the score of response control, which in some way expresses the ability to sustain attention and the reaction speed during the test, has been increased as a result of noise motivation theory and the positive short-term effects of vibration acceleration. In general, whole body vibration in low to moderate acceleration level and low level of noise may improve cognitive performance in a short time, however, definitive conclusions are subject to doing the systematic and comprehensive studies.

heat stress is the most common occupational risk factors and can adversely affect the health and efficiency of the individuals. Exposure to extreme heat in the workplace can cause heat-related illnesses as well as increased risk of accidents and related injuries. The previous Studies have shown that heat stress can lead to some physiological responses and affect cognitive function. But these studies have not reached a clear and definitive conclusion. There have been several studies on the effect of heat stress on heart rate and blood pressure. According to the results of the most studies, heat exposure can increases heart rate, but the results of the researches on the effect of heat exposure on blood pressure are not the same. According to the results of the most studies, heat stress can leads to decrease in cognitive performance; however, some studies have shown that cognitive performance does not change or in some cases increase under heat stress conditions. Due to the differences in the results of the previous studies in this area, further studies are needed to clarify these results. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of heat stress on cognitive performance, heart rate and blood pressure of the students. 

In this experimental study, 18 volunteer students (9 girls and 9 boys) from the school of health and safety at the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences with the mean age of 21.11 year and standard deviation of 1.71 year and body mass index of 23.23 kilogram per square meter and standard deviation of 1.44 kilogram per square meter participated. This study was conducted in the laboratory of heat and humidity control. Each participant was randomly exposed to one of the test conditions with 3 different Wet Bulb Globe Temperature. According to the factorial method, there were six different Wet Bulb Globe Temperature conditions in which the subjects were tested in one of these six states. A total of 54 experiments were performed on the subjects. Before the test, all the participants received written consent and they all became familiar with the stages of the experiment. Prior to the test, the participants completed a questionnaire of the inclusion. The criteria for entering the study included age 20-24, undergraduate education, body mass index (BMI) of 23±2 kg/m2, no cardiovascular and mental illnesses, normal heart rate and blood pressure and no drug consumption. In order to examine the mental health of the individuals, they were asked to complete the General Health Questionnaire, developed by Goldberg (1972), before the test. Those who obtained the total score of 0 to 22 were classified in the group without any symptoms or least limit and included in the study. The participants were asked to have sufficient sleep and rest and a normal diet, without coffee or caffeine, before the test. The subjects were also asked to wear simple linen or cotton clothes with light colors to take into account the effect of Clo on heat stress for all the participants. Unwillingness to continue to cooperate during the test was also considered as an exclusion criterion of the study. After selecting the samples based on inclusion criteria, other interfering factors, including noise and lighting were evaluated and controlled. The lighting equal to 450 lux and noise pressure level equal to 35dB were recorded and controlled.Participants were exposed to three different thermal conditions (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 29°C as lower than the exposure limit, Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 32°C as the exposure limit for the non-acclimatized people to warm environments, and Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 35°C as more than the exposure limit for the non-acclimatized people) for 30 minutes, and their cognitive performance was evaluated in these three thermal conditions. The relative humidity in all stages of the study was 50%. To provide different temperature conditions, two EFHA2200 model electrical fan heaters, manufactured by ARASTEH, as well as two Beurer humidifiers were used. To measure the relative humidity, the GM8910 humidifier (BENETECH Company, China) was used with a precision of ± %5, and to measure the WBGT index, the digital QUESTEMP10 WBGT meter was used with a sensitivity of about one tenth degree Celsius. All the devices were calibrated before the test. To measure the WBGT index, the device was placed at a distance of about 10 cm from the body of the participants in the waist area (0.7 m), and after about a minute, the numbers shown by the device as a WBGT indicator were read.To assess the effect of heat stress on cognitive performance of the participants, a 2018 Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance test was used and the scores of attention scales including selective attention, focused attention, divided attention, alternating attention and sustained attention were measured in both visual and auditory domains. The IVA test is a computerized test for sustained attention and response control. The participants were exposed to pseudo-randomly ordered series visual and auditory stimuli of numbers 1 and 2, and they were asked to click the mouse when they saw or heard the number 1. With an initial explanation of how to do the test, the entire test lasted 11 minutes. The IVA results were presented in six primary scales (three response control scales and three scales of attention) in the visual and auditory areas. The response control scales are as follows: (Prudence, Consistency and Stamina). The attention scales are as follows: (Vigilance, Focus and Speed). In order to investigate the effect of heat stress on physiological parameters, blood pressure and heart rate of the individuals was also measured before and after exposure to heat. To Measure the blood pressure and heart rate of the subjects, digital Blood Pressure Monitor was used. Its accuracy for measuring blood pressure was ±3 mmHg and for measuring heart rate was ±%5. SPSS software version 22 was used to analyze the results. To analyze the relationship between heat stress and heart rate, blood pressure and attention scales resulting from the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance test, the Generalized Estimating Equations test (GEE) was used.

According to the results of this study, with increase in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, the heart rate of the participants significantly increased in relative to pre-exposure conditions (79.72 beat per minutes with SD of 6.83 in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 22°C and 90.05 beat per minutes with SD of 8.71 in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 35°C, p<0.05). Also, with increase in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, the systolic blood pressure of the participants significantly increased in relative to pre-exposure conditions (103.77 mmHg with SD of 11.62 in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 22°C and 109.00 mmHg with SD of 11.05 in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 35°C, p<0.05). With increase in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, their diastolic blood pressure significantly decreased in relative to basic conditions (72.16 mmHg with SD of 4.84 in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 22°C and  64.94 mmHg with SD of 5.94in Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 35°C, p<0.05). With increasing heat stress, the mean of six attention scales in visual domain including visual attention, visual selective attention, visual focused attention, visual divided attention, visual alternating attention, and visual sustained attention steadily decreased. However, this decrease was significant only for two scales including visual attention scale and visual alternating attention at 35°C (p<0.05). The relationship between heat stress and other attention scales in the visual domain was not significant (p>0.05). With increasing heat stress, the mean of two scales of in auditory domain including auditory selective attention and auditory alternating attention steadily decreased, and this decrease was significant at the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 35°C (p<0.05). The auditory attention scale was also significantly decreased at the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature of 35°C (p<0.05). No significant relationship was found between heat stress and other auditory attention scales (p> 0.05).

The results of this study showed that heat stress has a strong and significant relationship with physiological parameters such as heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. According to the results of this study, heat stress can increase the heart rate and systolic blood pressure and decrease diastolic blood pressure; so Changes in heart rate and blood pressure can act as a good indicator for the heat strain. Exposure to excessive high temperatures can reduce attention and consequently decrease cognitive performance. One of the limitations of this study was the difficulty of doing it in real work environment. Considering that in industrial and real working environment, many interfering factors such as risk factors of the work environment, family and psychological conditions of the subjects, nutrition, different work shifts and time of sleep and rest can affect the results of the study, it will be difficult to select similar samples that meet all of the requirements of this study. However, studies similar to the present study need to be carried out in industrial environments and real work conditions in order to increase the applicability of the results of study in work environments.