Sufficiently Elevated Core Body Temperature May Be Necessary to Maintain Cerebral Blood Flow Response throughout the Morning

Abstract

In comparison to a carbohydrate-rich breakfast, a nutritionally balanced breakfast reportedly leads to a higher core body temperature because of diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) and also results in higher task performance. This study aimed to examine the relationships among the core body temperature, blood glucose level, cerebral blood flow, and cognitive performance when the core body temperature is raised to a similar extent as in DIT in the morning. This crossover study included 18 male participants who performed four sets of cognitive tests in the morning with four different foot baths and glucose intake conditions. In elevated body temperature (EBT) conditions, the core body temperature was increased by a foot bath at 42˚C or 39˚C, while in low body temperature (LBT) conditions, it was maintained at 35˚C by a foot bath; the participants received no glucose or two intakes of 20-g glucose for each thermal condition. In addition to the core body temperature measurement, the cerebral blood flow in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was measured using near-infrared spectroscopy. Three blood collections were performed to measure the changes in blood glucose levels. The results revealed that in the EBT conditions, the core body temperature remained 0.3˚C - 0.5˚C higher than that at wake-up time, while the glucose intake conditions increased blood glucose levels which remained higher than those during fasting. No significant between-treatment difference was observed in the results of cognitive tests. However, the blood flow in the DLPFC increased during the second test period in the EBT/glucose and LBT/glucose conditions, whereas during the fourth test period, it increased solely in the EBT/glucose condition. Thus, in addition to the blood glucose level, an elevated core body temperature within the physiological range may be needed for long-term maintenance of the cerebral blood flow response.