Reaction Time Inconsistency in a Spatial Stroop Task: Age-Related Differences Through Childhood and Adulthood

Background:Salvia (sage) supplementation has been shown to improve the cognition function in healthy individuals or patients (e.g., attention, memory). To date, no study has explored its relevancy in the context of sporting performance. The aim of this study was to explore the acute effects of a combination of Salvia officinalis and Salvia lavandulaefolia on cognitive function in athletes performing a fatiguing cycling task.Methods: Twenty-six volunteers were included in this cross-over, randomized, double-bind vs. placebo trial. Two hours before the two experimental sessions (here called SAGE and PLACEBO), volunteers randomly received a supplementation of sage or placebo. During each experimental session, participants were tested at four occasions while cycling during a warm-up, in the middle and at the end of a fatiguing task and after a short 5-min recovery. Tests included a Stroop task, a simple reaction time task, and a backward digit span memory task. Heart rate and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were also measured at the beginning of the four test sessions.Results: Heart rate was significantly greater during the fatiguing exercise than during warm-up and recovery (P < 0.001) without any supplementation effect. RPE was greater during the fatiguing exercise than during warm-up and recovery (P < 0.001). Moreover, RPE was significantly lower during the SAGE session as compared to PLACEBO (P = 0.002). Reaction time was not altered during the exercise but was significantly shorter with SAGE as compared to PLACEBO (P = 0.023). The Stroop task only revealed significantly longer reaction time during warm-up as compared to recovery (P = 0.02) independently of the supplementation. The digit span memory test revealed a significant greater span score with SAGE as compared to PLACEBO (P = 0.044).Conclusion: The combination of Salvia improved the cognitive functions (perceived exertion, working memory, and reaction time). The positive effects were obtained in fresh condition and were maintained with fatigue.

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Age-Related Structural and Functional Changes of the Hippocampus and the Relationship with Inhibitory Control

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci10121013 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 1013

Author(s):

Sien Hu ◽

Chiang-shan R. Li

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Gray Matter Volume ◽

Stop Signal ◽

Sequential Effect ◽

Stop Signal Task ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Age Related ◽

Stop Signal Reaction Time ◽

Age Related Changes

Aging is associated with structural and functional changes in the hippocampus, and hippocampal dysfunction represents a risk marker of Alzheimer’s disease. Previously, we demonstrated age-related changes in reactive and proactive control in the stop signal task, each quantified by the stop signal reaction time (SSRT) and sequential effect computed as the correlation between the estimated stop signal probability and go trial reaction time. Age was positively correlated with the SSRT, but not with the sequential effect. Here, we explored hippocampal gray matter volume (GMV) and activation to response inhibition and to p(Stop) in healthy adults 18 to 72 years of age. The results showed age-related reduction of right anterior hippocampal activation during stop success vs. go trials, and the hippocampal activities correlated negatively with the SSRT. In contrast, the right posterior hippocampus showed higher age-related responses to p(Stop), but the activities did not correlate with the sequential effect. Further, we observed diminished GMVs of the anterior and posterior hippocampus. However, the GMVs were not related to behavioral performance or regional activities. Together, these findings suggest that hippocampal GMVs and regional activities represent distinct neural markers of cognitive aging, and distinguish the roles of the anterior and posterior hippocampus in age-related changes in cognitive control.

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Aging, Reaction Time, and Stages of Information Processing

Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193128903300305 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 174-178 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Max Vercruyssen ◽

Barbara L. Carlton ◽

Virginia Diggles-Buckles

Keyword(s):

Information Processing ◽

Reaction Time ◽

Response Selection ◽

Reaction Time Task ◽

Skill Levels ◽

Stimulus Response ◽

Age Related ◽

Response Stimulus ◽

Older Subjects ◽

Stimulus Degradation

Using Sternberg's (1969) Additive Factors Method (AFM), previous investigations in search of the locus of age-related slowing in reactive capacity have found conflicting results possibly due to inconsistencies in research methodologies. This experiment was conducted to examine age differences in the performance of AFM intratask manipulations of a reaction time task using both fixed and variable foreperiod conditions with subject testing at both naive and practiced skill levels. Twenty male subjects, ten young and ten old, performed a visual four-choice RT task with intratask manipulations of stimulus-degradation, stimulus-response compatibility, and response-stimulus intervals (RSIs were fixed at 0, 2, and 5 sec and variable with random presentations at 0, 2, and 5 sec), once when subjects were naive and again when practiced. The results varied by level of practice and RSI, but clearly the older subjects had difficulty with the intratask manipulations. The older subjects took twice as long, on the average, to respond. Interactions of age by compatibility suggest that, according to the AFM, with age comes inordinately long delays in the response selection stage of information processing. Conclusions are made with caution since this research points to limitations and methodological confounds which serve to explain many of the equivocal findings in previous studies.

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