As students begin entering the exam period, researchers testing the brains of pupils from Chichester have found that teenagers’ brains work less efficiently when they become dehydrated, making tasks such as problem solving harder. The research revealed in the prestigious journal Human Brain Mapping and featured in the Sunday Telegraph was a joint study between The Institute of Psychiatry in London, Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge and the Sport and Exercise Sciences department at the University of Chichester.
Dr Marcus Smith, Principal Lecturer in Exercise Physiology at the University of Chichester, was one of the senior investigators and he was responsible for recruiting 10 students involved in the study who were from Chichester High School for Boy’s Sixth Form and Chichester College.
The study showed that relatively low levels of dehydration following acute exposure to hot conditions resulted in impaired neural activity in key parts of the student’s brain. This resulted in the brain having to work harder to perform the same task. Students who do not maintain fluid balance whilst revising and subsequently taking exams in a warm exam hall could be placing themselves at a disadvantage in terms of optimising their academic potential.
Dr Smith said: “It is important that students drink a volume of fluid that maintains optimum levels of hydration. This is particularly important when spending extended time in a warm or even hot environment, such as revising outdoors or sitting exams indoors. Dehydration can lead to a range of problems such as headaches, a loss of concentration and premature fatigue.”
The students who took part in this study had to undergo multiple brain scans pre and post acute dehydration. They were asked to perform 90 minutes of exercise before being given a series of problem solving and reaction time tests.
Dr Smith added: “The publication of our findings has provoked a great deal of interest and plans for a follow up study focussing on rehydration strategies are currently being formulated. It would be fantastic to work again with local partners and offer young people an incredible insight into the world of applied human science research.”
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