Cognitive performance during a memory task significantly reduced finger pulse wave amplitude compared to rest, indicating peripheral vasoconstriction occurs when subjects invest mental effort.
Does mental effort during cognitive tasks affect peripheral arterial tone as measured by finger pulse wave amplitude?
Peripheral vasoconstriction, measured by reduced finger pulse wave amplitude, serves as a physiological marker of invested mental effort during cognitive tasks.
We ran two experiments to investigate whether peripheral arterial tone reflects changes in mental effort. Finger pulse wave amplitude, interpulse interval, and pulse variability in the mid- and high-frequency bands were recorded by means of a newly developed finger plethysmograph during both rest and cognitive performance. Using a modified version of the Sternberg memory task, we selectively manipulated either the difficulty of the task (Experiment 1) or the subjects' level of engagement in the task (Experiment 2). We found a significant difference in finger pulse wave amplitude between rest and task periods, suggesting that the measure reflects changes in sympathetic activity due to task engagement. In addition, our results suggest that reduced pulse wave amplitude, signaling vasoconstriction, occurs when subjects are investing effort.
Iani et al. (Thu,) reported a other. Cognitive performance (Sternberg memory task) vs. Rest was evaluated on Finger pulse wave amplitude. Cognitive performance during a memory task significantly reduced finger pulse wave amplitude compared to rest, indicating peripheral vasoconstriction occurs when subjects invest mental effort.