Physiological and Cognitive Factors Related to Human Performance During the Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim Hike

Journal Article · Wed Jan 24 00:00:00 EST 2018 · Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments

DOI:https://doi.org/10.7771/2327-2937.1095· OSTI ID:1421626

Divis, Kristin ^[1]; Anderson-Bergman, Clifford ^[2]; Abbott, Robert ^[1]; Newton, Victoria ^[1]; Emmanuel-Aviña, Glory ^[2]

---

1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
2. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

Exposure to extreme environments is both mentally and physically taxing, leading to suboptimal performance and even life-threatening emergencies. Physiological and cognitive monitoring could provide the earliest indicator of performance decline and inform appropriate therapeutic intervention, yet little research has explored the relationship between these markers in strenuous settings. The Rim-to-Rim Wearables at the Canyon for Health (R2RWATCH) study is a research project at Sandia National Laboratories funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to identify which physiological and cognitive phenomena collected by non-invasive wearable devices are the most related to performance in extreme environments. In a pilot study, data were collected from civilians and military warfighters hiking the Rim-to-Rim trail at the Grand Canyon. Each participant wore a set of devices collecting physiological, cognitive, and environmental data such as heart rate, memory, ambient temperature, etc. Promising preliminary results found correlates between physiological markers recorded by the wearable devices and decline in cognitive abilities, although further work is required to refine those measurements. Planned follow-up studies will validate these findings and further explore outstanding questions.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) (United States); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525
• OSTI ID: 1421626
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1429732
• Report Number(s): SAND--2017-1481J; SAND2017--12213J; 658631
• Journal Information: Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments, Journal Name: Journal of Human Performance in Extreme Environments Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 14; ISSN 2327-2937
• Publisher: Purdue University
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
Grand Canyon
cognitive markers
human performance
physiological markers