Influences of age, mental workload, and flight experience on cognitive performance and prefrontal activity in private pilots: a fNIRS study.

ABSTRACT: The effects of aging on cognitive performance must be better understood, especially to protect older individuals who are engaged in risky activities (e.g. aviation). Current literature on executive functions suggests that brain compensatory mechanisms may counter cognitive deterioration due to aging, at least up to certain task load levels. The present study assesses this hypothesis in private pilots engaged in two executive tasks from the standardized CANTAB battery, namely Spatial Working Memory (SWM) and  One Touch Stockings of Cambridge (OTS). Sixty-one pilots from three age groups (young, middle-aged, older) performed these two tasks from low to very high difficulty levels, beyond those reported in previous aging studies. A fNIRS headband measured changes in oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) in th

SUBMITTER: Causse M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6531547 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature