Cognitive Ability and Cardiovascular Control in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled People

Abstract

Earlier, we examined the positive effects of hyperoxic air on the cognitive ability of intellectually and developmentally disabled people (IDDP). In this study, the correlation between cognitive performance in the visual matching task and heart rate (HR) was investigated under normal air conditions. Eighteen men (mean age 28.7 ± 5.0 year) and 22 women (mean age 35.5 ± 6.9 year) with an assessed disability level of 2.3 ± 0.6 participated. The experiment consisted of three phases, a total of 7 min, including the rest (3 min), control (2 min), and visual matching task (2 min) phases. The HR in the visual matching task phase increased, compared to that in the rest and control phases. The cognitive ability in the visual matching task correlated with the HR values; the response time showed a negative correlation with the HR, while the accuracy rate showed a positive correlation. Thus, adaptive changes in cardiovascular regulation probably related to cognitive efforts and emotional excitation is a noticeable factor influencing brain supply with oxygen in IDDP (similarly to those in healthy people). The result of this study agrees with the earlier obtained indications that hyperoxic air can positively affect the cognitive performance in IDDP.