Tyrosine Reverses a Cold-Induced Working Memory Deficit in Humans
Abstract
Acute exposure to cold stress has been shown to impair short-term, or working, memory, which may be related to reduction in, or disruption of, sustained release of brain catecholamines. Administering a supplemental dose of the catecholamine precursor tyrosine may alleviate cold stress-induced memory impairments by preventing cold-induced deficits in brain catecholamine levels. The present experiment determined whether administration of tyrosine would prevent a cold-induced working memory deficit, using a computer-based delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) memory task. Eight male volunteers performed the DMTS task for 30 min at an ambient temperature of either 4 deg C (cold) or 22 deg C following a 30-min preexposure period and 2 h after ingesting 150 mg/kg of L- tyrosine or placebo.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA286073
Entities
People
- David Shurtleff
- John R. Thomas
- John Schrot
- Kathleen Kowalski
- Robert Harford
Organizations
- Naval Medical Research Center