Key result
A complex cognitive task (reading inverted text) significantly increased the physiological cost of activity compared to a simple task across all study blocks (p<0.05).
Why the study?
Does the physiological cost of activity (PhysCost) index better differentiate cognitive task complexity compared to individual HRV and respiratory rate parameters in healthy volunteers?
Cross-Sectional (n=18)
No
Does the physiological cost of activity (PhysCost) index better differentiate cognitive task complexity compared to individual HRV and respiratory rate parameters in healthy volunteers?
p-value: p=<0.05
An integrative indicator combining heart rate and respiratory rate (PhysCost) is more reliable than individual HRV parameters for assessing the physiological cost during continuous cognitive tasks of varying complexity.
Cognitive load may raise activity costs in daily function; leaves open relevance to cardiac rehab or outcomes.
The study examined heart rate variability (HRV) and respiratory rate during a cognitive task (reading) at two difficulty levels. Time, frequency and nonlinear analysis of HRV was used. It has been shown that both some indicators of HRV (HR, SDNN, RMSSD, SD2, SD2/SD1) and respiratory rate change with increasing mental load, however, they do not separately demonstrate significant differences at all three stages of the study. Therefore, for the first time for cognitive studies, an integral indicator was used that links the parameters of the heart with respiration – the physiological cost of activity (PhysCost), which was previously used in work with athletes when they performed physical exercises to failure. Changes in the PhysCost showed that differences between a simple and a complex task are observed at all stages of the study. Thus, it has been established that the difference in the functional state of a person in the process of performing a continuous task of two levels of complexity is most reliably revealed when using an integrative indicator connecting the activity of the respiratory system and the circulatory system.
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Kriklenko et al. (2024) conducted a cross-sectional in Healthy volunteers (n=18). Complex cognitive task (reading 180° inverted text) vs. Simple cognitive task (reading normal text) and rest was evaluated on Physiological cost of activity (PCA) integrating heart rate and respiratory rate (p=<0.05). A complex cognitive task (reading inverted text) significantly increased the physiological cost of activity compared to a simple task across all study blocks (p<0.05).
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