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 -