Cognitive function in tropical climates

Résumé 0

The physiological and psychological responses to environmental heat stress have been well established. However, when it comes to tropical climates, most studies deal with exercise, and the impact on cognition is unclear. This article reviews the main studies on cognitive tasks performed in tropical climates. Various factors can influence cognition in hot and/or humid environments, such as subjective states, humidity, dehydration, or fatigue. These factors can have an impact on cognitive performance by using part of the neural resources that are available in limited quantities. The resources, which are allocated to different tasks or activities, may be insufficient and lead to deterioration in performance in cognitive tasks carried out in a tropical environment. We look at the main theories, such as Global Workspace Theory, used to interpret the data in the literature. Likewise, theoretical insight is shed on recent applied and innovative physiological cooling techniques and psychological strategies used in an attempt to limit the deleterious effects of the thermal environment.