Uncorrelated Age-Related Changes in Visuo-Spatial Working Memory Binding and Thermoregulation

Ageing is associated with alterations in circadian rhythms and thermoregulation, contributing to a fragmentation of the sleep-wake cycle and possibly age-related changes in cognitive performance. In this study, we investigated the relationship between visuo-spatial working memory (vsWM) performance and thermoregulation in young (18-34 years) and old (64-84 years) healthy human adults. Variations in the distal-proximal skin temperature gradient (DPG) were continuously monitored over the 24 h cycle in a field setting. vsWM was assessed during morning (09:00) and evening sessions (17:00) using an object-location binding task. As expected, a reduced circadian DPG amplitude was observed in old as compared to young participants. Likewise, old participants produced more errors than the young ones in object identification and location, suggesting reduced vsWM ability. Notwithstanding this, no significant association was found between circadian DPG modulation and vsWM performance, nor between testing time-of-day and cognitive performance. Further research is needed to explore environmental factors and the timing of peak circadian rhythms to better understand the interplay between circadian biology and cognitive ageing.