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Variations in body iron status determine variations in body energy expenditure and brain dynamics as a function of perceptual and cognitive workload
Author(s) -
Wenger Michael J,
MurrayKolb Laura E.,
Haas Jere D.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.840.14
Subject(s) - cognition , workload , audiology , working memory , anemia , heart rate , psychology , hemoglobin , electroencephalography , medicine , physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiology , blood pressure , psychiatry , computer science , operating system
Iron deficiency (ID), with and without anemia, has been shown to have deleterious effects on physical performance. Animal models have demonstrated that physical endurance and the concentrations of oxidative enzymes and respiratory proteins all decrease in ID, even at levels that do not reach the point of anemia. Human studies have documented reductions in endurance in ID without anemia, with effects being seen in measures of energy expenditure and work efficiency. The present effort extends the examination of the effect of ID to consideration of its effects on energy use in the performance of mental work. ID women(ferritin < 16 g/dl, n = 20) and age‐, education‐ and activity‐level‐matched controls ( n = 17) provided blood samples for measures of iron status; completed a set of questionnaires probing general health and activity levels, menstrual status, and consumption of iron‐rich foods; completed a working memory task (as a general measure of cognitive efficiency); and performed a visual Sternberg task with a concurrent mental math task. While performing the visual Sternberg task, participants’ brain and metabolic states were measured using electroencephelography (EEG) and measures of the volume of O 2 and CO 2 in expired air, respiratory rate, and heart rate. We show statistically significant relationships among behavioral, EEG, and metabolic measures, all as a function of variations in task difficulty and iron status. The data suggest the potential for using EEG for indirect estimation of the effects of ID on brain energy.