Effects of hydration on cognitive function of pilots.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of fluid intake and possible dehydration on cognitive flight performance of pilots. A repeated-measures, counterbalanced, mixed study design was used to examine differences in working memory, spatial orientation, and cognitive flight performance...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Military Medicine Vol. 178; no. 7; pp. 792 - 799
Autores principales: Lindseth, Paul D, Lindseth, Glenda N, Petros, Thomas V, Jensen, Warren C, Caspers, Julie
Formato: research randomized controlled trial Journal Article
Publicado: Oxford University Press / USA Jul2013
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:The objective of this study was to examine the effect of fluid intake and possible dehydration on cognitive flight performance of pilots. A repeated-measures, counterbalanced, mixed study design was used to examine differences in working memory, spatial orientation, and cognitive flight performance of 40 randomly selected healthy pilots after having high and low fluid intakes. Serial weights were also analyzed to determine differences in cognitive flight performance of the dehydrated (1-3% weight loss) and hydrated study participants. Results showed flight performance and spatial cognition test scores were significantly (p < 0.05) poorer for pilots who had low fluid intakes and experienced dehydration in comparison to the hydrated pilots. These findings indicate fluid intake differences resulting in dehydration may have safety implications because peak cognitive performance among pilots is critical for flight safety.