Spirometry has added value over electrodermal activity as a physiological marker of mental load in male subjects

The objective distinction of different types of mental demands as well as their intensity is relevant for research and practical application but poses a challenge for established physiological methods. We investigated whether respiratory gases (oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide output) are suitable t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2022-03, Vol.12 (1), p.4496-4496, Article 4496
Main Authors: Neukirchen, Tobias, Stork, Moritz, Hoppe, Matthias W., Vorstius, Christian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/443/1784
631/477/2811
692/53/2421
Carbon dioxide
Cognitive ability
Cognitive load
Emotions
Emotions - physiology
Galvanic Skin Response
Gases
Humanities and Social Sciences
Humans
Male
multidisciplinary
Oxygen uptake
Physiology
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Spirometry
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Summary:The objective distinction of different types of mental demands as well as their intensity is relevant for research and practical application but poses a challenge for established physiological methods. We investigated whether respiratory gases (oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide output) are suitable to distinguish between emotional stress and cognitive load. To this end, we compared the application of spirometry with an established procedure, namely electrodermal activity (EDA). Our results indicate that electrodermal activity shows a strong responsivity to emotional stress induction, which was highly correlated with its responsivity to cognitive load. Respiratory gases were both sensitive and specific to cognitive load and had the advantage of being predictive for cognitive performance as well as self-reported emotional state. These results support the notion that respiratory gases are a valuable complement to common physiological procedures in the detection and discrimination of different mental demands.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-022-08480-x