Cognitive effects of long-term residence in the Antarctic environment

This study examined whether prolonged residence in the Antarctica had a significant impact on cognitive performance. Participants were members of the 24th and 25th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expeditions. Cognitive performance was measured with tests designed to evaluate short-term recognition, memory search and spatial cognition, measured four times: January, March, April, and June 2010. Age was controlled as a covariate, and data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. The results revealed that subjects’ short-term memory and recognition ability remained stable, while 82% of team members exhibited improved scores on a spatial cognitive ability test. These findings have important implications for furthering our understanding of cognitive functioning in extreme environments