Relationship between forearm muscle oxygenation and cognitive performance during preparation for the Stroop task

Abstract

  Relationships among mental preparation, near-infrared spectroscopy-derived measures of muscle oxygenation and cognitive performance have not been fully established. We concomitantly measured concentrations of oxyhemoglobin (oxyHb), deoxyhemoglobin and total hemoglobin in the forearm flexor muscle, skin blood flow and cardiovascular responses during a preparatory period followed or not by the Stroop test (ST) in eight healthy individuals. The relationship between oxyHb levels in the forearm muscle and reaction time in the ST was also analyzed. Levels of oxyHb in the bilateral forearm muscles were significantly higher during preparation for the ST. Furthermore, the mean reaction time at the start of the ST showed significant negative correlation with oxyHb in the forearm muscles during preparation for the ST. These results indicate that mental preparation for the Stroop test evokes an increase in muscle blood flow in bilateral forearm muscles, resulting in the activation of cognitive function.