Document Type : Original Articles
Authors
- Roohollah Zahediannasb 1, 2, 3
- Mohammad Nami 4
- Maryam Hosseini 1, 2, 3
- Amin Abolhasani Foroughi 4, 5
- Amirsaeed Ghodsinejad 3
- Hadi Aligholi 1, 2
1 Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
2 Neuroscience Laboratory (Brain, Cognition and Behavior), Department of Neuroscience, School of
3 DANA Brain Health Institute, Iranian Neuroscience Society, Fars Branch, Shiraz, Iran
4 Cognitive Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Unit, Department of Social Sciences, Canadian University Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
5 Medical Imaging Research Center, Department of Radiology, Namazee Hospital, Shiraz University
Abstract
Background: Since the brain temperature fluctuations are related to the cognitive disorders, the regulation of the brain temperature has become one of the main trends in the cognitive studies. The present study examined the effect of frontopolar cortical cooling on the working memory applying the cortical thermal stimulation device (CTSD).
Methods: The current study is a phase II, randomized, controlled trial in which twenty participants were randomly divided into two groups to receive 30 minutes of frontopolar cortical cooling in four sessions. The control group received sham cooling while the intervention group received real cooling. Before and after the first session and after the fourth session, spatial working memory test was recorded from both groups. In this study, a cortical thermal stimulation device was used to cool the frontopolar cortex, the mechanism of which is through the flow of water and alcohol in a closed loop.
Results: After four sessions of frontopolar cortical cooling, a significant effect of frontopolar cortical cooling on working memory was observed. The analysis of working memory results after one and four sessions of cooling, based on ANCOVA test, demonstrated an improvement in the SWM test in the intervention group compared to the control group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Considering the positive effect of frontopolar cortical cooling on the capacity of working memory, the results suggested that the use of appropriate tool for cooling the cerebral cortex may turn into a practical approach in the field of cognitive rehabilitation in the future.
Keywords
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