Cognitive deficits due to thermal stress: an exploratory study on soldiers in deserts
Open accessAbstract
Background It is well known that environmental factors play an important role in human performance. High temperature and humidity particularly impair mental performance by altering brain neurochemistry and electrolyte disturbance which in turn affect one's overall efficiency. While the physiological responses to environmental heat have been well established, it is less clear about its impact on cognition. Study aims to investigate the impact of thermal strain on cognition. Methods One hundred (100) healthy soldiers aged between 20 and 30 years who had spent minimum of one year in desert conditions prior to their induction in the study formed sample of the study. The subjects were evaluated on memory and on cognitive functions twice i.e. in the month of February and June. The data so generated was analyzed by appropriate statistical methods. Results The mean age of the subjects were 25.8 yrs. There was a significant decline in cognitive performance in hot climate as compared to normal weather on Post graduate Institute (PGI) memory scale (P < 0.05). The effect was more marked for tests requiring sustained attention, concentration, psychomotor performance, verbal memory and tests of executive function. Conclusion The present study is the first study to be conducted in actual desert conditions. Findings revealed a detrimental impact of thermal stress on the cognitive performance of soldiers in deserts.
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Firefighters exposed to high temperatures show a decline in vigilance and cognitive flexibility, and soldiers in hot desert environment (42-43 °C) show reduced sustained attention and executive function.
“Additionally, other studies have reported a decline in vigilance and cognitive flexibility in firefighters exposed to high temperatures,12 and reduced sustained attention and executive function in soldiers in hot desert environment (42–43 °C).13”
From Influence of habitual physical activity on cognitive performance of healthy young adults after passive heat exposure (2026) · cites this paper as [13]
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Zhuo, F., Gaurani, R. J., Low, I. C. C., Deshayes, T. A., Lee, J. K. W., Cheung, S. S., Choo, P. L., & Tan, X. R. (2026) · Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness · doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2025.200436 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
- Authors
- Saini, R., Srivastava, K., Agrawal, S., & Das, R. C.
- Affiliations
- Armed Forces Medical College (IN)
- Indian Air Force (IN)
- Corresponding author
- Saini, Rajiv
- Venue
- Medical Journal Armed Forces India
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2017-10
- Volume
- 73
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 370-374
- ISSN
- 0377-1237 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5771701
- OpenAlex
- W2753508982
- Cited by
- 31
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1
- FWCI
- 0.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Medical Journal Armed Forces India (acceptedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Office of the Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services
- Defence Research Development Organization
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Thermoregulation and physiological responses
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Keywords
- thermal stress (biology), cognitive performance, military personnel, desert environment, heat exposure, memory, executive function, sustained attention, psychomotor performance, verbal memory
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