Marine survival in the Mediterranean : a pilot study on the cognitive and cardiorespiratory response to sudden cool water immersion

Buoite Stella, Alex (author), Morrison, Shawnda A. (author)

Background and Aim: The Mediterranean is one of the major gateways of human migratory fluxes from Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia to Europe. Sea accidents have become an urgent humanitarian crisis due to the high number of migrants on the move, but data on the physiological effects to sudden cool water immersion are not as extensive as cold-water studies. We wanted to evaluate to what extent cool water immersion (~18 °C) may detrimentally affect cognitive ability and cardiorespiratory strain compared to the more prevalent cold-water (<10–15 °C) studies. Methods: In this case, 10 active, healthy men participated in this study which consisted of completing one familiarization trial, and then a control (CON) or experimental (EXP) trial in a randomized, repeated-measures, cross-over fashion, separated by at least 7-days. Cognitive function was assessed via the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), a code substitution test, performed at baseline, then repeated in either a thermoneutral (~25 °C room air) dry environment, or when immersed to the neck in 18 °C water. Testing consisted of six “Step” time-blocks 45-s each, with a 5-s pause between each Step. Cardiorespiratory measures, continuously recorded, included heart rate (beats per minute), minute ventilation ($\dot{V}_E$, L·min$^{−1}$), oxygen consumption ($\dot{V}$O$_2$, L·min$^{−1}$), and respiratory frequency (fR, count·min$^{−1}$). Results: Initial responses to cool water (<2 min) found that participants performed ~11% worse on the code substitution test (p = 0.025), consumed 149% greater amounts of oxygen (CI: 5.1 to 9.1 L·min$^{−1}$, p < 0.0001) and experienced higher cardiovascular strain (HR CI: 13 to 38 beats per minute, p = 0.001) than during the control trial. Physiological strain was in-line to those observed in much colder water temperature. Conclusion: Sudden, cool water immersion also negatively affects cognitive function and cardiorespiratory strain, especially during the first two minutes of exposure. The magnitude increase in heart rate is strongly associated with poorer cognitive function, even in (relatively) warmer water consistent with temperatures found in the Mediterranean Sea environment.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Mediterranean, climate change, human migration, cold shock, heart rate, executive function, environmental epidemiology
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FŠ - Faculty of Sport
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2022
• Number of pages: 13 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 19, iss. 3, art. 1601
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-136992
• UDC: 612:502.14
• ISSN on article: 1660-4601
• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19031601
• COBISS.SI-ID: 95702275
• Publication date in RUL: 27.05.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: International journal of environmental research and public health
• Shortened title: Int. j. environ. res. public health
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1660-4601
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1818965

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.02.2022

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: Sredozemlje, sprememba podnebja, migracije ljudi, hladni šok, srčni utrip, izvršilna funkcija, okoljska epidemiologija