Are you having trouble solving a puzzle that you were able to finish quickly before? Beware of germs! Researchers have found that impaired cognitive performance indicates an increased risk of contracting a viral disease.
- The immune system corresponds to the cells and organs that protect the body by destroying microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.) that cause infections or illnesses.
- An unbalanced diet, stress, lack of sleep, physical inactivity can contribute to the weakening of the immune system.
To predict the risks of respiratory infection as well as the severity of the disease, it would suffice to answer puzzles. If your reaction or alertness times are worse than usual, this means that you are more at risk of being contaminated by surrounding viruses. This is assured by scientists from Duke University School of Medicine and the universities of Virginia and Michigan.
Declines in cognitive performance are linked to immunity
To determine whether cognitive functions could measure immune performance, the scientists followed 18 healthy volunteers. The latter took brain performance tests three times a day for three days, then were exposed to a cold virus (rhinovirus). Among other things, brain games gauged reaction time, attentiveness, and rapid switching between numbers and symbols.
In addition, the researchers evaluated the viral excretion of the infected participants as well as the symptoms they presented.
“At first, we didn’t find that cognitive function had a significant association with increased disease risk because we used raw scores. But later, when we looked at change over time, we found found that variation in cognitive function is closely related to immunity and susceptibility to serious infections”explained Yaya Zhai of the University of Michigan and first author of the study.
Thus, if cognitive performance is reduced compared to usual, the risk of contracting a viral disease is greater.
Regular cognitive tests to assess increased risks of infection
Thanks to their discovery, the team believes that it would be possible to identify periods of increased susceptibility to the disease via digital platforms. It would be enough to monitor cognitive indicators such as typing speed and accuracy as well as sleep quality and stress level via an application to assess a person’s risk of having a weakened immune system.
“Our results suggest that regularly collected markers of cognitive performance, in combination with measures of stress and fatigue, may be useful in predicting susceptibility to severe symptoms and viral shedding, with potential clinical and epidemiological application”write the authors of the article published in the journal Scientific Reports on December 30, 2022.
However, Ronald Turner, professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of Virginia, acknowledges: “This is an interesting observation in a relatively small study. Hopefully there will be a chance to confirm these findings in a larger, more definitive study.”
