Introduction: Given the wide proliferation of ultra-long endurance races, it is important to understand the physiological response of the athletes to improve their safety. We evaluated the cognitive and neurosensory effects on ultra-endurance athletes during the Transpyrénéa (866 Km, 65,000 m positive slope), held on the French Pyrenees. Materials and Methods: 40 athletes were enrolled (age 43.8±8.8 years; 36 males). Olfactory and cognitive tests were performed before the race (T0, n=40), at 166 kms (T1, n=28), at 418 kms (T2, n=20) and after the race (T3, 866 kms, n=13). The effect of dehydration and sleep deprivation on cognitive features were also studied. Results: Olfactory function decreased during the race (T0: 24.9±4.3 vs T3: 22.8±3.5, z=-2.678, p=0.007), language fluency increased (T0: 10.8±2.9; T1: 11.4±2.7; T2: 12.9±2.8; T3: 12.9±3.0; ?2=11.132, p=0.011 for combined samples), whereas the Trail Making Test did not show any changes between pre- and post-race (T0 vs T3 p=0.697 for TMT-A, p=0.977 for TMT-B). The mean aggregate sleeping time was 9.3±5.4 h at T1, 22.4±10.0 h at T2, 29.5±20.5 h at T3, with a correlation with olfactory function(r=0.644, p=0.018), while Total Body Water (TBW) was not correlated with olfactory or cognitive scores. Conclusion: Physical activity and sleep restriction in ultra-endurance could transiently affect olfactory function, while verbal fluency improved, demonstrating a dissimilar mechanism of activation/deactivation in different cortical areas. Body water loss was uncorrelated to cognition. Further studies should clarify whether cognitive and sensory deficits occur even in absence of sleep restriction.
Neurosensory and cognitive modifications in Europe's toughest RandoRaid competition: the Transpyrénéa Extreme Study
Tonacci A;Sansone F;Conte R;Pratali L
2017
Abstract
Introduction: Given the wide proliferation of ultra-long endurance races, it is important to understand the physiological response of the athletes to improve their safety. We evaluated the cognitive and neurosensory effects on ultra-endurance athletes during the Transpyrénéa (866 Km, 65,000 m positive slope), held on the French Pyrenees. Materials and Methods: 40 athletes were enrolled (age 43.8±8.8 years; 36 males). Olfactory and cognitive tests were performed before the race (T0, n=40), at 166 kms (T1, n=28), at 418 kms (T2, n=20) and after the race (T3, 866 kms, n=13). The effect of dehydration and sleep deprivation on cognitive features were also studied. Results: Olfactory function decreased during the race (T0: 24.9±4.3 vs T3: 22.8±3.5, z=-2.678, p=0.007), language fluency increased (T0: 10.8±2.9; T1: 11.4±2.7; T2: 12.9±2.8; T3: 12.9±3.0; ?2=11.132, p=0.011 for combined samples), whereas the Trail Making Test did not show any changes between pre- and post-race (T0 vs T3 p=0.697 for TMT-A, p=0.977 for TMT-B). The mean aggregate sleeping time was 9.3±5.4 h at T1, 22.4±10.0 h at T2, 29.5±20.5 h at T3, with a correlation with olfactory function(r=0.644, p=0.018), while Total Body Water (TBW) was not correlated with olfactory or cognitive scores. Conclusion: Physical activity and sleep restriction in ultra-endurance could transiently affect olfactory function, while verbal fluency improved, demonstrating a dissimilar mechanism of activation/deactivation in different cortical areas. Body water loss was uncorrelated to cognition. Further studies should clarify whether cognitive and sensory deficits occur even in absence of sleep restriction.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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