Effects of Inositol-Enhanced Bonded Arginine Silicate Ingestion on Cognitive and Executive Function in Gamers

Inositol stabilized arginine silicate (ASI) ingestion has been reported to increase nitric oxide levels while inositol (I) has been reported to enhance neurotransmission. The current study examined whether acute ASI + I (Inositol-enhanced bonded arginine silicate) ingestion affects cognitive function in e-sport gamers. In a double blind, randomized, placebo controlled, and crossover trial, 26 healthy male (n = 18) and female (n = 8) experienced gamers (23 ± 5 years, 171 ± 11 cm, 71.1 ± 14 kg, 20.7 ± 3.5 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to consume 1600 mg of ASI + I (nooLVL®, Nutrition 21) or 1600 mg of a maltodextrin placebo (PLA). Prior to testing, participants recorded their diet, refrained from consuming atypical amounts of stimulants and foods high in arginine and nitrates, and fasted for 8 h. During testing sessions, participants completed stimulant sensitivity questionnaires and performed cognitive function tests (i.e., Berg-Wisconsin Card Sorting task test, Go/No-Go test, Sternberg Task Test, Psychomotor Vigilance Task Test, Cambridge Brain Sciences Reasoning and Concentration test) and a light reaction test. Participants then ingested treatments in a randomized manner. Fifteen minutes following ingestion, participants repeated tests (Pre-Game). Participants then played their favorite video game for 1-h and repeated the battery of tests (Post-Game). Participants observed a 7–14-day washout period and then replicated the study with the alternative treatment. Data were analyzed by General Linear Model (GLM) univariate analyses with repeated measures using weight as a covariate, paired t-tests (not adjusted to weight), and mean changes from baseline with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI). Pairwise comparison revealed that there was a significant improvement in Sternberg Mean Present Reaction Time (ASI + I vs. PLA; p < 0.05). In Post-Game assessments, 4-letter Absent Reaction Time (p < 0.05), 6-letter Present Reaction Time (p < 0.01), 6-letter Absent Reaction Time (p < 0.01), Mean Present Reaction Time (p < 0.02), and Mean Absent Reaction Time (p < 0.03) were improved with ASI + I vs. PLA. There was a non-significant trend in Pre-Game Sternberg 4-letter Present Reaction time in ASI + I vs. PLA (p < 0.07). ASI + I ingestion better maintained changes in Go/No-Go Mean Accuracy and Reaction Time, Psychomotor Vigilance Task Reaction Time, and Cambridge Post-Game Visio-spatial Processing and Planning. Results provide evidence that ASI + I ingestion prior to playing video games may enhance some measures of short-term and working memory, reaction time, reasoning, and concentration in experienced gamers.

Sleep inertia measurement with the psychomotor vigilance task in idiopathic hypersomnia

Study Objectives Sleep inertia is a frequent and disabling symptom in idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), but poorly defined and without objective measures. The study objective was to determine whether the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) can reliably measure sleep inertia in patients with IH or other sleep disorders (non-IH). Methods A total of 62 (51 women, mean age: 27.7 ± 9.2) patients with IH and 140 (71 women, age: 33.3 ± 12.1) with non-IH (narcolepsy = 29, non-specified hypersomnolence [NSH] = 47, obstructive sleep apnea = 39, insomnia = 25) were included. Sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness in the last month (M-sleep inertia) and on PVT day (D-sleep inertia) were assessed with three items of the Idiopathic Hypersomnia Severity Scale (IHSS), in drug-free conditions. The PVT was performed four times (07:00 pm, 07:00 am, 07:30 am, and 11:00 am) and three metrics were used: lapses, mean 1/reaction time (RT), and slowest 10% 1/RT. Results Sleep inertia was more frequent in patients with IH than non-IH (56.5% and 43.6% with severe sleep inertia in the past month, including 24% and 12% with sleep drunkenness). Lapse number increase and slowest 10% 1/RT decrease, particularly at 07:00 am and 07:30 am, were proportional with M-sleep inertia severity, but regardless of sleep drunkenness and sleep disorders. Similar results were obtained when PVT results were compared in patients with/without D-sleep inertia, with the largest increase of the lapse number at 07:00 am and 07:30 am associated with severe sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness. Conclusions PVT is a reliable and objective measure of sleep inertia that might be useful for its characterization, management, and follow-up in patients with IH.

Reliability and Validity of a 3-minute Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) in Assessing Sensitivity to Sleep Loss and Alcohol: Fitness for Duty in Aviation and Transportation

Study Objectives The psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) is a widely used objective method to measure sustained attention, but the standard 10-min version is often impractical in operational settings. We investigated the reliability and validity of a 3-min PVT administered on a portable handheld device assessing sensitivity to sleep loss and alcohol in relation to a 10-min PVT and to applied tasks. Methods Forty-seven healthy volunteers underwent a 12 consecutive days sleep lab protocol. A cross-over design was adopted including total sleep deprivation (TSD, 38 hours awake), sleep restriction (SR, 4 h sleep opportunity), acute alcohol consumption, and SR after alcohol intake (SR/Alc 4 h sleep opportunity). Participants performed a 10-min and 3-min PVT and operationally-relevant tasks related to demands in aviation and transportation. Results Sleep loss resulted in significant performance impairments compared to baseline measurements detected by both PVT versions – particularly for mean speed (both p &lt; .001) - and the operationally-relevant tasks. Similar effects were observed due to alcohol intake (speed: both p &lt; .001). The 3-min and 10-min PVT results were highly correlated (speed: between r = .72 and r = .89). Three of four aviation related tasks showed robust correlations with the 3-min PVT. Correlations with the parameters of the task related to transportation were lower, but mainly significant. Conclusion The 3-min PVT showed a high reliability and validity in assessing sleep loss and alcohol induced impairments in cognitive performance. Thus, our results underline its usefulness as potential fitness for duty self-monitoring tool in applied settings.

104 The influence of self-reported distractions on the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) in laboratory and field environments

Introduction The Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) is a measure of vigilant attention that is commonly used in laboratory environments to assess the neurobehavioral impact of sleep loss and circadian misalignment. The PVT has been increasing in popularity for use in field environments; however, the potential for distraction is higher in the field compared to the lab. It is unclear how distractions experienced by individuals taking the PVT in the real world may influence reaction time metrics. We investigated the influence of self-reported distraction on PVT outcomes across laboratory and field environments. Methods We examined PVT data from five studies including short (n=36 participants, 3799 PVTs) and long-haul (n=75 participants, 3282 PVTs) airline personnel, control center personnel (n=5 participants, 96 PVTs), and healthy individuals who participated in a study involving at-home and laboratory assessments (n=12 participants, 486 and 310 PVTs). Individuals in all of the studies were asked to complete the five-minute NASA PVT at least three times daily. Participants were asked to indicate the number of distractions they experienced immediately after each PVT. Mean PVT reaction time (RT) and number of distractions were computed for each study and overall. Results Participants reported more distractions in field environments compared to the lab (short-haul=1.29 +/- 1.48, long-haul=0.66 +/- 1.07, control-center=1.20 +/- 1.37, at-home=0.86 +/- 1.36, laboratory=0.46 +/- 1.07) Across all studies, we found that PVT RT slowed as self-reported distractions increased (all studies combined: 0 distractions=PVT RT 275.7ms; 1=285.0ms; 2=304.0ms; 3=322.9ms; &gt;4=408.6ms). These findings were similar for healthy participants completing PVTs at home (0 distractions=286.4ms; 1=309.9ms; 2=328.3ms; 3=369.8ms; &gt;4=385.1ms) but were less consistent during in-lab assessments (0 distractions=278.7ms; 1=316.2ms; 2=396.2ms; 3=370.4ms; &gt;4=354.4ms). These findings were similar for other PVT outcomes. Conclusion Participants reported more distractions in field environments compared to the laboratory. Our findings suggest that the number of distractions that individuals report experiencing while taking a PVT increases the reaction time registered by the device. Researchers should collect information about distractions during the PVT and should be aware that distractions may influence the recorded PVT reaction time. Support (if any) NASA Airspace Operations and Safety Program, System-Wide Safety Project

Feasibility and acute alerting effects of a daylight-supplementing in-vehicle lighting system – Results from two randomised controlled field studies during dawn and dusk

The present studies examined the feasibility and acute alerting effects of additional in-vehicle lighting within a passenger car. These factors were examined during morning driving (Study 1) and evening driving (Study 2). In a balanced within-subjects design, 37 participants drove a test car two times in the morning or in the evening. The test vehicle was equipped with either a daylight-supplementing interior lighting system or a placebo system, which participants were told would refresh the air. Both studies used identical protocols, and participants participated either in Study 1 ( n = 18) or Study 2 ( n = 19). In both studies, corneal illuminance levels were recorded while driving. Feasibility of the systems was assessed using subjective ratings. Efficacy outcomes were spindle rates in the alpha bandwidth of electroencephalogram recordings, performance on a psychomotor vigilance task and subjective sleepiness ratings. In both studies, daylight-supplementing significantly increased corneal illuminances while driving and did not cause any negative visual side-effects. Study 1 revealed lower spindle rates while driving under daylight-supplementing lighting, indicating that drivers had higher physiological alertness when exposed to additional light in the morning. This alerting effect of daylight-supplementing lighting, however, was not observed in Study 2. In both studies, performance on the psychomotor vigilance task as well as subjective sleepiness ratings did not significantly differ between the experimental conditions. The present studies provide novel evidence for the feasibility and positive impact of daylight-supplementing in-vehicle lighting systems on the physiological alertness of drivers under naturalistic driving conditions. Further studies are warranted to evaluate carry-over effects of increased alertness on road safety measures.