Explore the intricate link between your mind and body in this episode. We delve into 'distress tolerance', your capacity to endure and manage challenging emotional and physical states. We also break down 'reaction time; and 'psychomotor vigilance', key measures of how quickly and effectively you respond to stimuli, often assessed by tasks like the PVT, which is highly sensitive to 'sleep deprivation'. Learn how sleep loss not only directly impairs reaction times and vigilance but also significantly reduces your distress tolerance. Discover the complex, often indirect relationship between low distress tolerance and impaired cognitive performance, mediated primarily by your ability to 'regulate emotions' and exert 'cognitive control'. When distress tolerance is low, attention can be captured by negative emotions, diverting crucial resources needed for tasks requiring quick reactions and sustained focus. Tune in to understand how these factors jointly impact your cognitive resilience and daily functioning.

This systematic review and meta-analysis examines neuromechanical probabilistic models used for characterizing mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), focusing on the role of the BrainSherpa reaction time (RT) as a potential diagnostic and prognostic metric. Findings suggest RT is a promising non-invasive digital biomarker, although current models require refinement and standardization to address variability and enhance clinical utility. The review highlights the potential of integrating these models into clinical practice, sports safety, and rehabilitation protocols to improve patient outcomes.

Based on the sources, reaction time (RT) can be effectively integrated into standardized mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) assessment protocols by leveraging advancements in sensor technology, improving experimental frameworks, utilizing sophisticated modeling techniques, and adopting a multimodal approach

Research indicates that acute and excessive use of smartphones affects individuals' cognitive functions, particularly their reaction times. Concerns have emerged regarding the influence of smartphones on cognitive performance and mental health.

Cognitive Effects:

• Increased Reaction Times and Decreased Attentional Control: Smartphone distractions can lead to significant cognitive impairments, including increased reaction times and decreased attentional control. Studies utilizing computer-based and physical testing methods underscore the notable impact of smartphone use on reaction time. This is especially true in environments demanding sustained focus, such as academic settings and driving. The deterioration in cognitive function is crucial as it can lead to increased cognitive failures, potentially impairing day-to-day activities and decision-making processes, particularly in contexts requiring quick responses like driving.
• Cognitive Failures: These often manifest as lapses in attention and reduced information retention, particularly in academic settings. Distractions posed by smartphones can impair cognitive tasks, leading to increased errors, especially in environments that require sustained attention, such as classrooms.

• Reduced Cognitive Capacity: Studies suggest that the mere presence of a smartphone can reduce cognitive capacity and impair cognitive functioning, particularly through its influence on attentional resources and working memory. One significant study found that cell phones can automatically capture attentional resources, leading to a reduction in the resources available for working memory. This suggests that when working memory is under strain, top-down attentional control suffers.
• Distraction: Smartphones not only serve as exogenous distractions but also capture attention automatically, drawing cognitive resources away from ongoing tasks. Even a brief three-second distraction, such as reaching for a phone, has been shown to significantly divert attention from cognitive tasks, leading to increased errors and reduced information retention. Students who engage with their smartphones during class take fewer notes and perform poorly academically.
• Relationship with Psychological Dependence: The relationship between psychological dependence on smartphones and cognitive performance suggests that excessive use may exacerbate cognitive deficits. However, research also indicates that psychological dependence may diminish the cognitive drawbacks typically associated with smartphone presence, complicating the relationship between device usage and cognitive performance.

Mental Health Implications:

• Link to Mental Health Issues: Excessive smartphone use is linked to a range of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and loneliness.
• Impaired Psychological Well-being and Emotion Regulation: A body of research indicates that individuals with high smartphone usage may experience impaired psychological well-being and difficulties in emotion regulation.
• Relationship Conflicts: Difficulties in emotion regulation can lead to family and interpersonal conflicts.
• Emotional Distress and Low Self-Esteem: Patterns of use, particularly among adolescents, reveal significant associations with emotional distress and low self-esteem, highlighting the role of smartphones in exacerbating mental health challenges.
• Psychological Dependence: The compulsive use of smartphones has been linked to various psychological outcomes, including dependence. Excessive smartphone use is associated with negative effects on mental health, influencing individuals' capacities for effective thought and learning.

This episode explores the connection between sleepiness and reported cognitive decline symptoms in a varied group of older adults who are currently considered cognitively healthy. The study utilized surveys and brain imaging to investigate if feeling excessively sleepy is linked to how people perceive their own cognitive abilities, considering other factors like depression and biological markers associated with Alzheimer's disease. The findings suggest a positive relationship between sleepiness and subjective cognitive decline, independent of the Alzheimer's biomarkers measured in this cohort. This highlights the potential importance of addressing sleep issues when evaluating self-reported cognitive changes.

Overall Association: The study indicated a positive association between increased sleepiness (higher ESS scores) and greater SCD symptomatology (higher CCI scores). Specifically, a one-unit increase in the ESS SLEEPINESS total score was associated with a 0.03 unit increase in the Cognitive Change Index CCI total score (with a 95% confidence interval of 0.008 to 0.052)"The association between measures of sleepiness and subjective cognitive decline symptoms in a diverse population of cognitively normal older adults" is 10.1177/13872877251331237

Can Smartphones be used for GOOD? BrainSherpa can Help.

This source is an analysis of the influence of smartphones on psychomotor vigilance and cognitive function. It examines the detrimental effects of both acute and chronic smartphone use, including impacts on reaction time, attention, and working memory, and explores the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms responsible for these impairments. The text identifies specific contexts where these effects are particularly pronounced, such as academic performance, driving, and occupational settings, and proposes various mitigation strategies, including behavioral changes and the promotion of "attention literacy," to address the negative consequences of excessive smartphone use in an increasingly connected world.

Can we use our Smartphone for Good?

YES - by using BrainSherpa

These sources collectively discuss the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), a test measuring sustained attention and reaction time, particularly in the context of sleep research. They explain how the PVT, historically used in labs, is now being adapted for smartphone technology, increasing accessibility for users to monitor their cognitive health. Crucially, the sources highlight the significant and often detrimental impact of smartphone use on cognitive performance, particularly due to notifications and late-night usage, which can lead to sleep disturbances and potential addiction. Ultimately, the texts emphasize the importance of understanding the relationship between smartphone use, sleep, and cognitive function to inform public health strategies.

This episode investigates the immediate cognitive effects of using a smartphone for a short period. The research involved two experiments comparing participants who used a smartphone for 45 minutes to a control group who watched a documentary for the same duration. Results indicated that while both groups reported increased feelings of mental fatigue and drowsiness, only the smartphone group demonstrated a decline in vigilance and inhibition capacities. This suggests that the subjective feeling of fatigue may not always align with objective cognitive performance, and acute smartphone use specifically impairs certain cognitive functions.

This episode and its accompanying abstract and introduction explore the potential benefits of creatine supplementation for brain health conditions. The sources summarize existing research on creatine's impact on disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and PTSD. Creatine's mechanism of action, particularly its role in brain bioenergetics, is discussed as a foundation for these potential therapeutic effects. The review highlights varied findings across studies, noting some promising results regarding cognitive function, mood symptoms, and brain metabolism. However, it also points out limitations in the current research, such as small sample sizes and methodological differences, emphasizing the need for further investigation to clarify creatine's clinical utility in psychiatry.