The neurocognitive mechanism linking temperature and humidity with miners' working memory: an fNIRS study.

Background: In China's coal mines, employees work in environments reaching depths of 650 m, with temperatures around 40°C and humidity levels as high as 90%, adversely affecting their health, safety capabilities, and cognitive functions, especially working memory. This study aims to explore different temperature and humidity conditions' impact on neurocognitive mechanisms to enhance occupational health and safety. Methods: This study, conducted between June and August 2023, with 100 coalmine workers from the Hongliulin Mining Group, utilized functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and short-term visual memory tasks to evaluate the effects of high temperatures and humidity on working memory by monitoring activity in the cerebral cortex. Behavioral data, and neurophysiological data were analyzed using Tukey's HSD for significant differences and multiple regression to explore the impact of temperature and humidity. The ß-values of Oxy-Hb for different regions of interest were calculated using General liner model (GLM), and the activation maps were plotted by NIRS_KIT. Results: High temperature and humidity (Condition IV) significantly depressed reaction times and working memory compared to other conditions, with temperature having a more pronounced impact than humidity on these cognitive measures (p < 0.05). Oxy-Hb concentration increased notably under Condition IV, emphasizing temperature's influence on brain oxygen levels. ROI analysis revealed varied brain activation patterns. The activation of ROI A and B (prefrontal cortex) increased with the increase of temperature and humidity, while ROI C (supplementary motor area) was less sensitive to temperature, indicating the complex influence of environmental factors on brain function. Conclusion: This study highlights the important effects of temperature and humidity on cognitive performance and brain function, highlighting the need to optimize the environment of miners' sites to improve productivity and safety.

The neurocognitive mechanism linking temperature and humidity with miners' alertness: an fNIRS study.

As the depth of coal mining increases, the temperature and humidity of the underground environment also rise, which can negatively impact the physiological health of miners, and may even pose a threat to their safety and lives. However, studies on the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the relationship between temperature, humidity, and miners' alertness are scant. This study investigates several research objectives: (A) the differences in reaction time and error rate in different temperature and humidity conditions, which factor has a greater impact; (B) the differences in the levels of Oxy-Hb in different conditions and which factor has a greater impact; (C) the differences of activation degree between different regions of interest; and (D) the differences in the shape of Oxy-Hb time course between different conditions between different regions of interests. The fNIRS was used to measure the activity in 100 participants' prefrontal cortex in this study. The results showed that both temperature and humidity would lead to decreased alertness of miners, which would not only prolong the reaction time, increase the error rate, and increase the Oxy-Hb concentration, but also lead to increased activation of the prefrontal cortex and greater activation of the right side than that of the left side, the Oxy-Hb time course was different on both sides, and temperature has a greater effect on alertness than humidity.

Effect of Shift Work on Cognitive Function in Chinese Coal Mine Workers: A Resting-State fNIRS Study.

AIM: Pilot study to examine the impact of shift work on cognitive function in Chinese coal mine workers. BACKGROUND: Shift work is commonly used in modern industries such as the coal industry, and there is growing concern over the impact that shift work has on miners' work performance and personal well-being. METHOD: A total of 54 miners working three shifts (17 in morning shift, 18 in afternoon, and 19 in night shift) participated in this exploratory study. A resting-state fNIRS functional connectivity method was conducted to assess the cognitive ability before and after the work shift. RESULTS: Results showed significant differences in cognitive ability between before and after the work shifts among the three-shift workers. The brain functional connectivity was reduced ranking as the night, afternoon, and morning shifts. Decreased brain functional connectivity at the end of the working shift was found compared with before in the morning and afternoon shifts. Opposite results were obtained during the night shift. The resting-state functional brain networks in the prefrontal cortex of all groups exhibited small-world properties. Significant differences in betweenness centrality and nodal local efficiency were found in the prefrontal cortex in the morning and night shifts. CONCLUSIONS: The current findings provide new insights regarding the effect of shift work on the cognitive ability of Chinese coal mine workers from the view of brain science.

Is There a Difference in Brain Functional Connectivity between Chinese Coal Mine Workers Who Have Engaged in Unsafe Behavior and Those Who Have Not?

(1) Background: As a world-recognized high-risk occupation, coal mine workers need various cognitive functions to process the surrounding information to cope with a large number of perceived hazards or risks. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the connection between coal mine workers' neural activity and unsafe behavior from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience. This study explored the functional brain connectivity of coal mine workers who have engaged in unsafe behaviors (EUB) and those who have not (NUB). (2) Methods: Based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a total of 106 workers from the Hongliulin coal mine of Shaanxi North Mining Group, one of the largest modern coal mines in China, completed the test. Pearson's Correlation Coefficient (COR) analysis, brain network analysis, and two-sample t-test were used to investigate the difference in brain functional connectivity between the two groups. (3) Results: The results showed that there were significant differences in functional brain connectivity between EUB and NUB among the frontopolar area (p = 0.002325), orbitofrontal area (p = 0.02102), and pars triangularis Broca's area (p = 0.02888). Small-world properties existed in the brain networks of both groups, and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex had significant differences in clustering coefficient (p = 0.0004), nodal efficiency (p = 0.0384), and nodal local efficiency (p = 0.0004). (4) Conclusions: This study is the first application of fNIRS to the field of coal mine safety. The fNIRS brain functional connectivity analysis is a feasible method to investigate the neuropsychological mechanism of unsafe behavior in coal mine workers in the view of brain science.

Psychological symptoms of ordinary Chinese citizens based on SCL-90 during the level I emergency response to COVID-19.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the Corona Virus (COVID-19) has become a global pandemic. This study aimed to investigate the psychological symptoms of ordinary Chinese citizens during the Level I Emergency Response throughout China. From January 31 to February 2 2020, an online questionnaire, Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) was designed, and differences in GSI T-scores among subgroups were examined by ANOVA. Based on a cut-off point of the GSI T-scores of 63, the overall sample was divided into high and low-risk groups. of the 1,060 participants investigated in China, more than 70% of them have moderate and higher level of psychological symptoms specifically elevated scores for obsessive compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, phobic anxiety, and psychoticism. There were no significant differences between males and females. Those who were of over 50 years old, had an undergraduate education and below, were divorced or widowed, and agricultural workers had significantly more symptoms. However, significantly more minors and medical staff were in the high-risk group. These results show that COVID-19 has a significant adverse socio-psychological influence on ordinary citizens. Therefore, governments should equip psychological health departments and pay attention to the people who are in high-risk groups, providing psychological interventions and assistance.