Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Glucose administration and cognitive function
T2 - differential effects of age and effort during a dual task paradigm in younger and older adults
AU - Macpherson, Helen
AU - Robertson, Bernadette
AU - Sünram-Lea, Sandra-Ilona
AU - Stough, Con
AU - Kennedy, David
AU - Scholey, Andrew B.
PY - 2015/3
Y1 - 2015/3
N2 - Rationale Current research suggests that glucose facilitates performance on cognitive tasks which possess an episodic memory component and a relatively high level of cognitive demand. However, the extent to which this glucose facilitation effect is uniform across the lifespan is uncertain.Methods This study was a repeated measures, randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial designed to assess the cogni- tive effects of glucose in younger and older adults under single and dual task conditions. Participants were 24 healthy younger (average age 20.6 years) and 24 healthy older adults (average age 72.5 years). They completed a recognition memory task after consuming drinks containing 25 g glucose and a placebo drink, both in the presence and absence of a secondary tracking task. Results and conclusions Glucose enhanced recognition mem- ory response time and tracking precision during the secondary task, in older adults only. These findings do not support pref- erential targeting of hippocampal function by glucose, rather they suggest that glucose administration differentially increases the availability of attentional resources in older individuals.
AB - Rationale Current research suggests that glucose facilitates performance on cognitive tasks which possess an episodic memory component and a relatively high level of cognitive demand. However, the extent to which this glucose facilitation effect is uniform across the lifespan is uncertain.Methods This study was a repeated measures, randomised, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial designed to assess the cogni- tive effects of glucose in younger and older adults under single and dual task conditions. Participants were 24 healthy younger (average age 20.6 years) and 24 healthy older adults (average age 72.5 years). They completed a recognition memory task after consuming drinks containing 25 g glucose and a placebo drink, both in the presence and absence of a secondary tracking task. Results and conclusions Glucose enhanced recognition mem- ory response time and tracking precision during the secondary task, in older adults only. These findings do not support pref- erential targeting of hippocampal function by glucose, rather they suggest that glucose administration differentially increases the availability of attentional resources in older individuals.
KW - glucose
KW - memory
KW - cognitive enhancement
KW - aging
KW - hippocampus
U2 - 10.1007/s00213-014-3750-8
DO - 10.1007/s00213-014-3750-8
M3 - Journal article
VL - 232
SP - 1135
EP - 1142
JO - Psychopharmacology
JF - Psychopharmacology
SN - 0033-3158
IS - 6
ER -