1 research outputs found
Impulsiveness, postprandial blood glucose and glucoregulation affect measures of behavioral flexibility
Behavioral flexibility (BF) performance is influenced by both psychological and physiological factors. Recent evidence
suggests that impulsivity and blood glucose can affect executive function, of which BF is a subdomain. Here, we
hypothesized that impulsivity, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glucose changes (i.e. glucoregulation) from postprandial
blood glucose (PBG) following the intake of a 15g glucose beverage could account for variability in BF performance.
The Stroop Color-Word Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were used as measures of BF, and the
Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) to quantify participants’ impulsivity. In Study 1, neither impulsivity nor FBG could
predict performance on the Stroop or the WCST. In Study 2, we tested whether blood glucose levels following the
intake of a sugary drink, and absolute changes in glucose levels following the intake of the glucose beverage could
better predict BF. Results showed that impulsivity and the difference in blood glucose between time 1 (postprandial)
and time 2, but not blood glucose levels at time 2 per se could account for variation in performance on the WCST but
not on the Stroop task. More specifically, lower impulsivity scores on the BIS-11, and smaller differences in blood
glucose levels from time 1 to time 2 predicted a decrease in the number of total and perseverative errors on the
WCST. Our results show that measures of impulsivity and glucoregulation can be used to predict BF. Importantly our
data extend the work on glucose and cognition to a clinically relevant domain of cognition